THE 

PROVINCETOWN 
BOOK 

NANCY  W.  PAINE  SMITH 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE  MONUMENT 


THE 

PROVINCETOWN 
BOOK 

by 
NANCY  W.  PAINE  SMITH 


Set  up  and  printed  by 

TOLMAN    PRINT,     Inc. 

Brockton,  Mass. 


Copyright  1922   by 
Nancy  W.  Paine  Smith 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

HERE  COMES  THE  CRIER 9 

THE  HEAVENLY  TOWN 11 

OVER  THE  ROAD  TO  PROVINCETOWN    ...  15 

WHO  FIRST  FOUND  THE  PLACE     ....  16 

OUR  NAMES 18 

JUST  A  LITTLE  ABOUT  THE  PILGRIMS  ...  22 

THE  COMPACT 23 

THE  SETTLERS 29 

THE  SETTLEMENT  ON  LONG  POINT       ...  35 
How  THE  STREETS  WERE  LAID  OUT  AND  THE 

TOWN  BUILT 40 

SALT-MAKING 50 

COD-FISHING 53 

ON  THE  GRAND  BANKS 56 

MACKEREL-CATCHING 66 

WHALING 68 

FRESH-FISHING 78 

ALLIED  INDUSTRIES 83 

THE  COAST  GUARD 92 

THE  PORTUGUESE 97 

A  BIT  OF  GEOGRAPHY 99 

PROVINCETOWN  WEATHER 112 

THE  CHURCHES 118 

THE  BENEVOLENCES  134 


no 


8  THE  PROVINCFTOWN  BOOK 

THE  SCHOOLS 137 

THE  ART  COLONY 145 

THE  MONUMENT  AND  THE  HILL    ....  148 

A  HINT  AT  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  SHORE  153 

THE  FLOWERS  170 

THE  BIRDS 178 

RECORDS  FROM  THE  OLD  CEMETERY    .        .        .  189 

TEACHERS  IN  THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  .        .        .  221 

ROSTER  OF  THE  PROVINCETOWN  SEMINARY  1845-6  224 

LIST  OF  THE  WHALERS  SINCE  1820      .       .        .  229 

LIST  OF  DATES 245 

LIST  OF  BOOKS 252 

SEEING  PROVINCETOWN  AND  SOME  INTERESTING 

THINGS  TO  SEE  255 


Here  Comes  the  Crier 

THIS  is  the  way  the  town  crier  cries  the  town. 
He  walks  from  one  end  of  the  sidewalk  to  the 
other  ringing  his  bell  as  he  goes,  three  strokes 
up  and  down. 

Ding-dong Ding-dong Ding-dong. 


10  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Then  in  a  loud  voice,  "Notice  —  To  be  sold  at 
public  auction,  this  afternoon  at  two  o'clock,  at  J.  & 
L.  N.  Paine's  wharf,  three-sixteenths  of  the  schooner 
Granada,  with  cables  and  anchors  and  all  fittings." 

If  the  weather  is  too  bad  for  the  steamer  to  make 
her  trip  on  schedule,  he  cries  this: 

(Ding-dong Ding-dong Ding-dong.) 

"Notice  —  The  Steamer  George  Shattuck  will  leave 
for  Boston  to-morrow  morning  at  nine  o'clock  —  wea- 
ther permitting." 

On  the  afternoon  of  a  show,  he  cries  this: 
(Ding-dong Ding-dong Ding-dong.) 

"Notice  —  Fairbanks  Lodge  of  Good  Templars 
will  give  a  dramatic  exhibition  in  Masonic  Hall,  this 
evening  at  seven  o'clock,  presenting  the  four-act  drama, 
'Down  by  the  Sea'  and  concluding  with  the  laughable 
farce,  'Done  on  Both  Sides.'  Admission  25  cents." 

When  we  hear  the  crier's  bell,  we  all  go  to  the  door 
to  listen,  and  thus  the  event  is  advertised  in  everybody's 
ears  at  the  cost  of  one  dollar. 

Could  there  be  a  collection  of  all  the  notices  of 
sales  and  sailings,  of  storms  and  shows,  cried  by  the 
crier  for  two  hundred  years,  we  should  have  a  history 
of  the  town.  Let  me  be  the  town  crier,  and  from 
memory  and  tradition,  from  the  records,  and  from  a 
deep  love  for  my  home,  cry  the  town  to  you. 


The  Heavenly  Town 

by  Alma  Martin 

A  heavenly  town  is  Provincetown. 

Its  streets  go  winding  up  and  down, 

Way-down-along,  way-up-along, 

With  laughter,  mirthful  jest  and  song. 

Dark  Portuguese 

From  far-off  seas 

Their  ships  in  bay 

Pass  time  of  day 

With  friends  who  wander  up  and  down 

The  pleasant  streets  of  Provincetown. 

"Hello!"  the  friendly  children  call 

To  high  and  low,  to  great  and  small. 

Bright  blossoms  gaily  nod  their  heads, 

Strong  zinnias,  yellow,  purples,  reds, 

Gay  marigolds  and  hollyhocks 

Whose  hues  are  matched  by  artists'  smocks. 

Dark  laughing  boys, 

Dark  smiling  girls, 

With  here  and  there  a  native  son, 

With  blue  eyes  full  of  Yankee  fun, 

Go  up  and  down  the  village  street; 

Gay  words  for  every  one  they  meet, 

And  fill  the  summer  air  with  song, 

Way-up-along,  way-down-along. 


12  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

The  air  is  crisp  with  briny  smells, 
The  time  is  told  by  chime  of  bells, 
The  painters  sketch  each  little  nook, 
In  colors  like  a  children's  book. 
Yellow  shutters,  windows  pink, 
Purple  shingles,  trees  of  ink. 
Front  street,  Back  street, 
Narrow  winding  lanes, 
Many  colored  fishing  boats, 
Sails  and  nets  and  seines, 
East  end,  West  end, 
High  sandy  dunes, 
Wonderful  by  moonlight 
Or  in  shining  noons. 

Oh,  a  heavenly  town  is  Provincetown 
Whose  streets  go  winding  up  and  down. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  13 


I  heard  or  seemed  to  hear  the  chiding  sea 
Say,  Pilgrim,  why  so  late  and  slow  to  come? 
Am  I  not  always  here,  thy  summer  home? 
Is  not  my  voice  thy  music  morn  and  eve? 
My  breath  thy  healthful  climate  in  the  heats? 
My  touch  thy  antidote,  my  bay  thy  bath? 

— Emerson 


Many  a  man 
wholwJ 'sailed 
all  over  ihe  world 
never  went  to 
Boston  that 


Over  the  Road  to  Provincetown 

GO  SOUTH  down  the  Old  Colony 
by  the  Weymouths  and  Kingston  to  Plymouth, 
through  the  Plymouth  woods, 

past  the  old  shop  where  the  Sandwich  glass  was  made, 
across  the  Canal, 

to  old  "High  Barnstable",  the  county  town, 
along  those  pleasant  streets  which  Joe  Lincoln  loves 
Where  every  man  but  one  is  "Capt'n,  and  he  is  fust 

mate" 

to  the  west  of  Highland  Light, 
(you  are  now  going  north) 
into  the  stretch  of  road 
with  the  dunes  on  one  side  and 
the  bay  on  the  other 
"  Way-up-along-the-shore, 
to  Provincetown. 


Who  First  Found  the  Place 

MORE  than  nine  hundred  years  ago  Thorwald, 
brother  of  Lief  Erickson,  came  up  the  Back- 
side toward  the  Harbor.  Old  Norse  records 
tell  how,  as  he  made  the  end  of  the  Point,  he  ran  ashore 
and  was  compelled  to  haul  his  ship  out  for  repairs.  He 
called  the  land  a  goodly  land,  and  sailed  away  to  the 
northwest,  to  a  bay  full  of  islands  (probably  Boston 
Harbor).  There  he  was  hit  by  a  poisoned  arrow. 
When  he  knew  that  he  must  die,  he  directed  his  men 
to  carry  him  back  to  the  place  where  they  repaired  the 
ship,  and  there  bury  him.  This  they  did.  It  may  be 
that  Thorwald's  sepulchre  is  the  stone  structure  under 
a  house  on  Chip  Hill.  Many  years  ago  this  hill  was 
lowered  twenty  or  thirty  feet  for  salt-works.  When  in 
1853,  Mr.  Francis  A.  Paine  built  his  house  there,  work- 
men, digging  the  cellar,  came  upon  a  wall  of  red  stones. 
The  wall  was  laid  in  mortar  containing  fragments  of  fish 
bones;  the  stones  were  blackened  as  if  by  smoke.  In 


THE   PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  17 

making  repairs  to  the  house  in  1895,  the  wall  was  again 
uncovered.  There  are  no  stones  on  the  end  of  Cape 
Cod,  except  those  brought  here  as  ballast  in  ships. 
One  glance  at  a  model  of  those  old  Norse  ships,  high 
out  of  water,  is  enough  to  prove  that  Thorwald's  ship,  in 
order  to  cross  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  must  have  been  well 
ballasted.  This  stone  wall  has  been  called  The  Indian's 
Camp,  The  Norsemen's  Fireplace,  The  Norsemen's  Fort. 
But  Indians  never  made  stone-work;  wild  Norsemen 
built  their  fires  in  the  open;  the  Norseman's  best  fort 
was  his  ship  afloat  or  ashore.  May  it  not  be  that 
Thorwald's  men  made  his  grave  on  this  hill  a  little 
removed  from  the  shore,  in  the  goodly  land  where  he 
wished  to  be  buried? 

Max  Bohm  has  on  exhibition  at  the  Art  Associa- 
tion, a  canvas  of  the  Norse  explorers  on  this  coast. 
The  title  of  the  picture  reads:  "Eric,  the  Red,  being  in 
fine  spirits,  discovers  the  Land  of  the  Free,  and,  having 
a  cruel  wit,  dubs  it  Vinland  (Wineland)." 


Our  Names 

MANY  early  explorers   made  our  harbor,   and 
each  gave  it  a  name  to  please  himself.     Maps 
of   the   first   French    and    Italian    navigators 
mark  the  land   The  Sandy  Cape.     One  called  it  Keel 
Cape;    one  called  it  Cape  of  the  Cross.     Captain  John 
Smith  called  it  Cape  James.     Champlain  called  it  Cape 
Blanc.     In   1602  Bartholomew  Gosnold  christened  it 
Cape  Cod. 

Gosnold  is  said  to  have  named  Cape  Cod  from  the 
first  fish  he  caught  in  the  harbor.  Benjamin  Drew  put 
this  story  into  rhyme,  and  read  it  in  response  to  a  toast 
at  the  first  anniversary  dinner  of  the  Cape  Cod  Asso- 
ciation, Nov.  11,  1851. 

There  sailed  an  ancient  mariner, 

Bart  Gosnold  was  he  hight — 
The  Cape  was  all  a  wilderness  * 

When  Gosnold  hove  in  sight. 

The  hills  were  bold  and  fair  to  view, 

And  covered  o'er  with  trees. 
Said  Gosnold:  "Bring  a  fishing  line, 

While  lulls  the  evening  breeze. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  19 

"I'll  christen  that  there  sandy  shore 

From  the  first  fish  I  take — 
Tautog  or  toad-fish,  cusk  or  cod, 
Horse-mackerel  or  hake. 

"Hard-head  or  haddock,  sculpin,  squid, 

Goose-fish,  pipe-fish  or  cunner, 
No  matter  what,  shall  with  its  name 
Yon  promontory  honor.  " 

Old  Neptune  heard  the  promise  made — 

Down  dove  the  water-god, 
He  drove  the  meaner  fish  away 

And  hooked  the  mammoth  cod. 

Quick  Gosnold  hauled,  "Cape — Cape — Cape  Cod!" 

"Cape  Cod!"  the  crew  cried  louder. 
"Here  steward  take  the  fish  away, 
And  give  the  boys  a  chowder." 


The  name  Cape  Cod  now  applies  to  the  whole  of 
Barnstable  County,  but  in  all  early  records  and  docu- 
ments and  in  common  usage  until  recent  years,  Cape 
Cod  was  used  for  Provincetown  alone. 

We  are  Cape  Cod,  we  are  also  Province  Land. 
Since  a  government  has  existed  in  Massachusetts,  we 
have  been  the  Province's  land,  the  property  first  of 
Plymouth  Colony,  later  of  the  Commonwealth.  The 
State  has  repeatedly  recorded  its  ownership,  and  has 
often  leased  and  taxed  the  fisheries.  It  still  appoints 
and  pays  a  commissioner  to  care  for  the  land.  No  one 


20  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

may  cut  a  tree  or  pick  a  cranberry  without  a  permit. 
Not  until  1893  was  it  possible  to  give  a  deed  of  land, 
except  a  quit-claim  deed.  At  that  time  the  Common- 
wealth set  up  granite  bound-stones,  ceding  to  the  people 
the  land  on  which  the  town  is  built,  but  reserving  to 
itself  most  of  the  territory.  These  bounds  can  be 
followed  along  the  hills  just  back  of  the  town. 

The  Trustees  of  Public  Reservations,  State  of 
Massachusetts  1892,  made  the  following  report  on  the 
State's  title  to  the  land.  "The  Colony  of  New  Ply- 
mouth was  granted  all  the  coast  from  Cohassett  to 
Narraganzett,  by  royal  patent,  dated  January  29, 
1629-30.  The  Colony  in  turn  granted  parts  of  its 
domain  to  sub-colonies,  or  plantations,  but  never  so 
granted  the  extreme  of  Cape  Cod.  On  the  contrary, 
the  Governor,  under  orders  of  the  General  Court,  1650, 
purchased  the  tip  end  of  Cape  Cod  from  an  Indian 
named  Samson,  'for  the  said  Colony's  use.'  There  was 
included  in  the  purchase  all  the  shore  of  Cape  Cod 
Harbor  from  Long  Point,  easterly  till  it  came  to  a  little 
pond  next  to  the  Eastern  Harbor,  thence  northerly 
to  the  back  sea." 

We  were  once  a  part  of  the  Constablrick  of  East- 
ham. 

In  order  that  the  State  Land  and  the  people  on 
it,  many  of  them  transients,  might  be  under  the  imme- 
diate eye  of  the  law,  we  were  made,  in  1714,  A  Precinct 
of  the  Town  of  Truro.  This  plan  was  not  satisfactory, 
and  the  next  year  a  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Truro  was  presented  to  the  General  Court  by  Constant 
Freeman,  the  representative,  "praying  that  Cape  Cod 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  21 

be  declared  a  part  of  Truro  or  not  a  part  of  Truro,  that 
the  town  may  know  how  to  act  in  regard  to  some 
persons." 

In  1727,  we  were  incorporated  by  an  act  of  legisla- 
ture as  a  township  by  the  name  of  Provincetown,  though 
in  this  act  the  State  reaffirms  its  right  to  the  land. 

At  that  time,  we  narrowly  escaped  being  named 
Herrington.  The  original  act  shows  the  word  Herring- 
ton  crossed  out  and  Provincetown  written  in.  The 
stretch  of  water  between  Wood  End  and  Race  Point  is 
still  called  Herring  Cove. 

We  are  Provincetown  in  Barnstable  County. 
Sitting  in  the  South  Station  in  Boston,  in  the  "Barn- 
stable  Pew"  a  stranger  said  to  me:  "Is  it  possible  there 
is  a  place  in  the  world  with  such  a  name  as  'Barn- 
Stable'?"  They  who  should  know,  say  that  the  English 
town  for  which  we  are  named  was  in  the  early  days 
Barnstaple,  "Big  Barns." 


Just  a  Little  About  the 
Pilgrims 

11  They  planned  wisely  and  they  builded  well." 

IN  THESE  tercentenary  days,  the  story  of  the 
Pilgrims  has  been  told  too  often  to  be  repeated 
here.  But  we  never  forget  that  the  Mayflower 
passengers  were  Non-conformists.  "Forms  and  cere- 
monies are  inventions  of  men,  sinful  to  observe,  not 
authorized  by  Scripture."  So  they  said.  They  were 
Separatists,  for  they  had  renounced  the  established 
church  of  England.  They  were  Independents  and 
Congregationalists,  each  parish  electing  its  own 
officers,  and  each  parish  independent  of  every  other 
and  of  all  authority  but  itself.  Their  opponents,  in 
derision,  called  them  Puritans  as  being  too  pure  to  live 
on  this  planet.  They  were  prisoners  in  England,  for 
conscience'  sake.  They  were  exiles  in  Holland,  "harried 
out  of  the  land."  They  were  Pilgrims  on  their  way  to 
a  new  world  and  a  new  era.  They  were  the  minority; 
the  greater  part  were  left  behind  with  John  Robinson 
in  Holland.  They  were  the  signers  of  the  Compact 
drawn  up  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower,  in  Province- 
town  Harbor,  November  11,  1620,  O.  S. 


IN  THE  name  of  God,  Amen. 
We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  the  loyal 
subjects  of  our  dread  sovereign,  Lord  King  James, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith  etc.,  having 
undertaken  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  advancement  of 
the  Christian  faith  and  the  honor  of  our  King  and 
Country,  a  voyage  to  plant  the  first  colony  in  the 
northern  part  of  Virginia,  do  by  these  presents,  solemnly 
and  mutually,  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  one  another, 
covenant  and  combine  ourselves  together  into  a  civil 
body  politic,  for  the  better  ordering  and  preservation 
and  furtherance  of  the  ends  aforesaid:  and  by  virtue 
hereof  do  enact,  constitute  and  frame  such  just  and 
equal  laws,  ordinances,  acts,  constitutions,  and  offices 
from  time  to  time,  as  shall  be  thought  most  meet  and 
convenient  for  the  general  good  of  the  Colony;  unto 
which  we  promise  all  due  submission  and  obedience. 
In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our 
names  at  Cape  Cod,  the  llth  of  November,  in  the  year 
of  the  reign  of  our  sovereign  Lord  King  James  of 
England,  France  and  Ireland,  the  eighteenth,  and  of 
Scotland,  the  fifty-fourth.  Anno  Domini  1620. 


24 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


SIGNERS   OF  THE   COMPACT. 


John  Carver 
William  Bradford 
Edward  Winslow 
William  Brewster 
Isaac  Allerton 
Miles  Standish 
John  Alden 
Samuel  Fuller 
Christopher  Martin 
William  Mullins 
William  White 
Richard  Warren 
John  Howland 
Stephen  Hopkins 
Edward  Tilly 
John  Tilly 
Francis  Cooke 
Thomas  Rogers 
Thomas  Tinker 
John  Ridgdale 
Edward  Fuller 


John  Turner 
Francis  Eaton 
James  Chilton 
John  Craxton 
John  Billington 
Joses  Fletcher 
John  Goodman 
Digery  Priest 
Thomas  Williams 
Gilbert  Winslow 
Edmond  Margeson 
Peter  Brown 
Richard  Bitterage 
George  Soule 
Richard  Clark 
Richard  Gardiner 
John  Allerton 
Thomas  English 
Edward  Doten 
Edward  Leister 


From  these  Mayflower  passengers,  and  from  their 
friends  who  came  the  next  year  in  the  Fortune,  and  from 
those  who  came  a  little  later  in  the  Ann,  sprung  the 
natives  of  Cape  Cod. 

They  were  forced  to  make  a  landing  by  the  weather 
and  by  the  refusal  of  the  captain  of  the  ship  to  go 
further.  They  were  outside  any  civil  authority.  They 
record  that  some  of  the  strangers  among  them  had  let 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  25 

fall  mutinous  speeches,  that  when  they  came  ashore  they 
would  use  their  own  libertie.  They  drew  up  this  com- 
pact saying  that  they  would  make  their  own  laws  and 
then  they  would  obey  them.  That  seems  a  simple 
thing  to  us,  and  doubtless  to  them  it  did  not  seem  a 
great  event.  But  Hon.  Francis  Baylies,  in  his  History 
of  New  Plymouth,  says  that  this  compact,  adopted  in  the 
cabin  of  the  Mayflower  established  a  most  important 
principle,  which  is  the  foundation  of  all  democratic 
institutions  and  the  basis  of  the  Republic. 

Here  in  the  "pleasant  bay"  at  Provincetown,  on 
November  11,  1620,  began  the  experiment  of  self- 
government.  Governor  Bradford's  History  says,  "Be- 
ing thus  arrived  in  a  good  harbor,  and  brought  safe  to 
land,  they  fell  upon  their  knees  and  blessed  the  God  of 
Heaven  who  had  brought  them  over  the  vast  and 
furious  ocean  and  delivered  them  from  all  the  perils  and 
miseries  thereof,  again  to  set  their  feet  upon  the  firm 
and  stable  earth,  their  proper  element."  He  adds  that 
on  Monday  the  women  went  on  shore  to  wash,  as  they 
had  great  need. 

For  five  weeks  they  lay  at  anchor  here,  while  they 
repaired  the  shallop  and  explored  the  coast.  To  iden- 
tify "the  good  harbor  and  pleasant  bay  circled  round 
except  in  the  entrance  which  is  about  four  miles  over 
from  land  to  land,"  is  easy.  The  changes  made  along 
the  shore  by  wind  and  tide  for  three  hundred  years 
render  it  very  difficult  to  locate  the  exact  spots  where 
the  women  made  Monday  the  national  wash-day,  where 
they  saw  the  Indians  who  ran  away  and  "whistled  their 
dogge  after  them,"  where  dignified  William  Bradford 


26  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

was  caught  in  a  deer-trap.  But  the  Research  Club  of 
Provincetown,  after  most  careful  examination  of  all 
records,  has  erected  a  tablet  at  the  extreme  west  end  of 
the  town,  at  "The  Terminal  of  the  King's  Highway 
that  goeth  unto  Billingsgate."  The  inscription  on  the 
tablet  reads: 


THE  FIRST  LANDING  PLACE 
OF  THE  PILGRIMS 

NOV.  11,  1620  O.  S. 

THE  MAP  IN  MOURT'S  RELATIONS  SHOWS 
THAT  NEAR  THIS  SPOT 

THE  PILGRIMS 
FIRST  TOUCHED  FOOT  ON  AMERICAN  SOIL 


ERECTED  BY  THE  RESEARCH  CLUB 
OF  PROVINCETOWN 
1917 


"The  Cape  Cod  Journal  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
reprinted  from  Mourt's  Relations"  is  a  pamphlet  costing 
twenty-five  cents,  done  by  Leon  Sharman  in  1920. 
The  original  "Relations"  was  made  in  1622,  by  Brad- 
ford, Winslow,  Morton  and  others,  and  has  a  title  two 
hundred  words  long,  "A  Relation  or  Journall  of  the 
Beginning  and  Proceedings  of  the  English  Plantations 
settled  in  New  England,  etc.,  etc." 

The  manuscript  of  Bradford's  History  was  lost 
for  many  years,  and  was  at  last  found  in  the  library  of 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  27 

the  Bishop  of  London,  by  whom  it  was  presented, 
through  the  efforts  of  Hon.  George  F.  Hoar  and  of 
Ambassador  Bayard,  to  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  Commonwealth  sells  copies  of  this  most 
interesting  book,  at  the  State  House  in  Boston,  for 
31.00 

The  Research  Club  has  also  erected  a  tablet  in  the 
Old  Cemetery: 


IN  MEMORY  OF 

DOROTHY  MAY  BRADFORD  (DROWNED) 
JAMES  CHILTON  JASPER  MORE 

EDWARD  THOMPSON 

THE    FOUR   MAYFLOWER   PASSENGERS   WHO 

DIED  WHILE  THE  MAYFLOWER  WAS 

AT  ANCHOR  IN   PROVINCETOWN 

HARBOR,  DEC.  1620. 


There  is  the  spot  where,  as  Bradford  says,"  We  found 
springs  of  fresh  water,  of  which  we  were  heartily  glad, 
and  sat  us  down  and  drank  our  first  New  England  water 
with  as  much  delight  as  ever  we  drunk  drink  in  our 
lives."  This  spring  (in  Truro)  was  easily  identified. 
It  is  now  faced  with  cement,  marked  with  a  tablet  and 
is  convenient  for  any  one  who,  like  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
would  delight  to  drink  drink  of  it. 

The  place  where  they  found  the  corn  is  also  marked. 
It  still  bears  the  name  the  Fathers  gave  it,  Cornhill. 
Indian  arrow  heads  are  abundant  here. 


28  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

More  important  than  the  washing,  or  the  spring, 
or  the  corn,  was  the  arrival  of  a  little  boy  baby  on 
board  the  Mayflower.  "This  day"  (Dec.  16),  the 
record  says,  "It  pleased  God  that  Mistress  White  was 
brought  abed  of  a  son  which  was  called  Peregrine." 
The  little  traveller  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  old, 
and  has  to  this  day  a  descendant  bearing  his  name, 
Peregrine  White. 


The  Settlers 

"God  sifted  a  whole  nation,  that  He  might  send 
choice    grain    into    the    wilderness" 

William  Stoughton,  1683. 

SOME  towns  can  say  of  themselves:  "In  such  a 
year,  a  company  came  from  such  a  place  to  this 
place,  bought  land,  organized  their  church,  elected 
their  officers,  began  to  make  history  and  to  keep  the 
record  thereof."  We  can  not  say  that.  We  just 
growed.  The  settlers  at  Plymouth  could  look  back 
from  their  hills  and  see  our  shore.  They  remembered 
"the  whales  playing  hard  by  us,  of  which,  if  we  had 
instruments  and  means  to  take  them,  we  might  have 
made  a  very  rich  return.  Which,  to  our  great  grief,  we 
wanted."  Also,  "There  was  the  greatest  store  of  fowl 
that  ever  we  saw."  They  returned  often  to  Cape  Cod 
for  the  fishing,  and  probably  built  huts  for  shelter  and 
for  storing  the  fish.  Permanent  settlement,  however, 
was  slow  and  fluctuating.  Could  any  town  in  the  world 
be  more  exposed  in  time  of  war  than  this  town,  isolated, 
on  a  strip  of  land  only  a  couple  of  miles  wide,  with  a 
good  harbor  open  to  the  enemy?  Therefore,  during 
the  Colonial  Wars,  then  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  again  during  the  War  of  1812,  most  of 
the  settlers  fled,  returning  on  the  declaration  of  peace. 


30 

The  War  of  1812  almost  ruined  the  fishing.  The 
admiral's  ship  Majestic  lay  off  the  Truro  shore;  Captain 
Richard  Raggett,  commander  of  the  British  ship 
Spencer,  patrolled  the  bay.  At  first  Captain  Raggett 
was  disposed  to  be  lenient  with  the  defenseless  little 
towns. 

Traces  remain,  on  the  premises  of  the  late  Elisha 
Nickerson,  of  an  old  well  where  British  sailors  came 
ashore  for  water.  A  well-authenticated  family  tradi- 
tion relates  the  story  of  how  little  Sylvia  Freeman, 
playing  on  the  shore,  was  approached  by  a  sailor  from 
a  boat,  who  said  to  her:  "Little  girl,  there  is  a  man  on 
board  the  ship  who  is  very  sick.  If  you  will  get  me  a 
quart  of  milk,  I  will  give  you  two  dollars."  This  he 
did,  and  Sylvia  bought  for  herself  two  French  calico 


House  of  Seth  Nickerson,   built  before  1 800 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  31 

dresses  at  fifty  cents  a  yard.  Later  the  two  calico 
dresses  were  made  into  a  quilt  which  is  still  in  exist- 
ence, the  calico  dropping  to  pieces,  but  unfaded. 

At  length  Captain  Ragget  was  reprimanded  from 
London  for  his  laxness  in  enforcing  the  blockade. 
Some  of  the  blockade-runners  were  then  captured  and 
sent  to  Dartmore  Prison,  England.  Usually,  however, 
their  boats  were  taken  and  the  men  set  free.  Stories 
are  told  of  Cape  Cod  skippers,  employed  by  the  English 
as  pilots  along  the  coast,  with  disaster  to  the  English 
ships.  "1812,"  by  Fitzgerald,  is  a  good  little  story  and 
a  true  one  of  an  English  ship  thus  cast  away  by  a 
Yankee  pilot. 

The  end  of  this  unpopular  war  soon  came.  When 
at  last  the  Colonies  were  free  from  English  taxes,  and 
from  embargoes,  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  had  been  adopted  and  a  stable  government  had 
been  established,  then  came  an  era  of  great  prosperity 
on  Cape  Cod. 

By  that  time,  the  fathers  had  learned  that  their 
wealth  was  in  the  sea.  The  Pilgrims  were  farmers  in 
Old  England,  and  they  expected  to  be  farmers  with 
great  estates  in  New  England,  even  on  Cape  Cod.  The 
Mayflower  evidently  set  sail  without  hooks  and  lines  or 
a  harpoon,  for  they  record  that  they  lacked  instruments 
for  taking  the  whales  playing  about,  and  that  they  could 
not  catch  many  fish.  They  therefore  ate  the  "great 
mussels"  which  made  them  sick.  These  were  probably 
sea  clams.  No  wonder  they  were  sick,  unless  they 
made  a  chowder  with  the  clams  chopped  fine  and  cooked 
a  couple  of  hours;  and  that  delicious  and  digestible 


32  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

concoction  is,  I  suppose,  an  evolution.  For  many  years 
fishing  was  only  an  avocation  to  eek  out  their  scanty 
crops.  Shrewd  old  Captain  John  Smith,  however,  had 
seen  the  possibilities  and  had  sent  a  cargo  of  dried  fish 
to  Spain,  on  which  he  made  a  profit  of  $7500,  remarking 
that  the  richest  mine  of  the  King  of  Spain  was  not  as 
valuable  as  the  fisheries  of  Cape  Cod.  After  long 
experience  by  the  up-cape  farmers  in  farming  up-cape 
farms,  many  a  man  said,  "I  go  a-fishing,  I  leave  the 
women  and  the  boys  to  care  for  the  cow  and  the  hens, 
and  to  tend  the  garden,  I  go  to  Provincetown,  for  there 
the  fishing  is  good."  They  came  from  Truro,  from 
Eastham,  from  Barnstable;  at  first  for  a  week  only, 
returning  to  their  homes  on  Saturday  night.  Soon  they 
built  substantial  houses  close  to  the  water,  and  brought 
their  families.  Every  dwelling  was  flanked  by  a  fish- 
store,  a  flake-yard,  and  salt-works. 

Then,  to  be  even  nearer  to  the  fishing,  some  went 
across  to  Long  Point  and  made  a  settlement  there. 
After  forty  years  of  the  isolation  of  the  Point,  they 
returned  "T'other  Side,"  again.  The  houses  were  put 
on  scows  and  rafted  across  the  harbor,  the  people  living 
within  and  the  smoke  curling  up  from  the  chimney. 
Most  of  the  houses  at  the  west  end  of  the  town  were 
thus  moved.  The  department  store  of  Mr.  Duncan 
Matherson  is  the  Long  Point  Schoolhouse.  Many 
houses  were  moved  from  Truro  in  the  same  way. 
Deacon  John  Dyer  was  justly  celebrated  as  a  mover. 
There  were  also  so  many  people  living  at  Race  Point, 
that  Race  Point  was  made  a  school  district,  and  a 
bridge  was  built  across  the  Run. 


Here  follows  a  diagram  of  the 
settlement  at  Long  Point;  and 
the  names  of  the  householders. 


Key  to  Map  of  Long  Point 

1.  Nunan 

2.  Richard  Tarrant 

3.  Richard  Tarrant  store  (last  store  left  on  Point. 

There  when  barracks  were  occupied,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.) 

4.  Philip  Smith,  afterwards  Chas.  Adams 

5.  Philip  Smith,  store 

6.  Robert  Smith 

6a.  Robert  Smith,  store 

7.  "Dick  Flood"  Smith 

8.  "Dick  Flood"  Smith,  salt  works 

9.  Eldridge  Smith 

10.  Jonathan  Smith 

11.  Jonathan  Smith,  store 

12.  Heman  Smith 

13.  Heman  Smith,  store 

14.  Wm.  Dill  (last  house  left  on  Point) 

15.  Wm.  Dill,  store 

16.  Elijah  Doane  (house  on  Nickerson  St.) 

17.  Elijah  Doane,  store 

18.  John  Williams  (only  2-story  dwelling  house  on 

Point) 

19.  Joseph  Butler 

20.  Joseph  Butler,  store 

21.  Jonathan  Sparrow 

22.  John  Weeks,  moved  from  34 


36  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

23.  John  Weeks,  store 

24.  Nathaniel  Freeman 

25.  Nathaniel  Freeman,  store 

26.  Joseph  Emery 

27.  Schoolhouse,  removed  from  50    Somewhere   near 

28.  Edward  Starr  here,  house   of 

29.  Prince  Freeman  Barnabas   Atwood, 

30.  John  Ghen,  double  house  m.      Sylvia     Free- 

31.  John  Ghen,  store  man.     Isaac  Paine 

32.  John  Atwood,  Sen.,  32a.  her  second  husband 

His  store  on  "Back  of  Point" 

33.  Joseph  Farwell 

34.  John  Weeks,  afterwards  moved  to  22 

35.  John  Weeks,  store,  afterwards  moved  to  23 

36.  John  Atwood,  Jr.,  shop,  later  kept  by  Chas.  Adams 

only  store  on  Point 

37.  John  Atwood,  Jr.  wharf.     Only  one  on  Point 

38.  John  Atwood,  Jr.,  house  and  woodshed  at  end  of 

bridge. 

39.  Nathaniel  E.  Atwood 

40.  Nathaniel  E.  Atwood,  store 
40a.  Nathaniel  E.  Atwood,  store 

41.  Chas.  Freeman 

42.  Samuel  Atwood,  moved  from  55 

43.  John  Atwood,  Sr.,  salt  works 

44.  John  Atwood,  Sr.,  store  with  brother,  Jeremiah 

45.  Eldridge  Nickerson  (or  John) 

46.  John  Nickerson  (or  Eldridge) 

47.  John  Nickerson,  windmill  for  salt  works 

48.  John  Nickerson,  salt  works 

49.  John  Nickerson,  store 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  37 

50.  Schoolhouse,  afterwards  moved  to  27 

51.  Timothy  Nickerson  (?) 

52.  Henry  Cowing  (Somewhere  near  here,  house 

53.  Henry  Cowing,  store          of  William  Mears) 

54.  Where  tree  roots  of  tea  cedar  used  to  be  found 

55.  Samuel  Atwood,  afterward  moved  to  42 

56.  John  Burt 

57.  Isaac  Atwood 

58.  Stephen  Atwood 

59.  Stephen  Atwood,  store 

60.  Francis  Abbott 

61.  A  bulkhead  to  keep  water  from  wearing  back. 

Dotted  line  marks  road  by  which  most  of  the  teams 
came.  At  low  tide  there  was  no  water  in  Lobster 
Plain,  and  most  of  the  teams  came  then  from 
town  with  coal,  etc. 

The  Natives 

The  speech  of  Cape  Cod  people  has  preserved  the 
old  English  tongue  in  singular  fashion.  We  still  hear 
the  old  plural  "housen"  for  houses;  we  say,  as  Queen 
Victoria  did,  "put  by"  for  embarrassed;  "put  out" 
for  offended,  "put  up  with"  for  tolerate;  "falling  out" 
for  quarrel,  vide  Shakespeare;  "heave"  for  throw,  as  in 
the  days  of  the  King  James  version;  "clever"  for  good- 
natured;  and  "My  kitchen  is  all  in  a  maum,"  and 
"I'm  gallied." 

Shebnah  Rich  in  his  History  of  Truro  says: 
"In  dialect,  in  manners,  in  their  sturdy  independence, 
their  picturesque  and  colored  methods  of  speech,  and 
their  love  of  grim  humor,  they  are  essentially  Yankee. 


365109 


38  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

They  have  the  breadth  and  generosity  of  language  that 
is  always  accredited  to  dwellers  by  the  sea.  There  is 
a  sort  of  poetry  in  it."  He  illustrates  this  as  follows: 
"I  was  coasting  in  a  vessel  that  would  sail  well  free  of 
the  wind,  but  on  a  close  haul  I  was  ashamed  to  be  seen 
on  deck.  Uncle  Nailor  was  my  mate.  One  morning 
when  a  head  wind  had  us,  and  common  sailing  vessels 
were  passing  us  like  steamboats,  I  ventured  out  of  the 
gangway,  and  said,  'Mr.  Hatch,  how  does  she  go 
along?'  He  promptly  replied,  'By  the  prophet's  nip- 
pers, Skipper,  when  you  see  her  wake  out  of  the  weather 
hawse-hole,  I  call  it  a  gallbuster.'  "  Could  any  saying 
be  more  descriptive  than  that  of  a  captain,  now  on  the 
quarter  deck  who  "came  in  through  the  hawse-hole". 
Could  any  name  mean  more  than  "Ambergris  John- 
son," a  lucky  whaler,  and  "Virgin  Rock  David,"  a 
good  Grand  Banker? 

The  repetition  of  the  same  family  name  has  led 
to  a  local  system  of  naming.  Since  there  are  many 
Mary  Nickersons,  they  are  called  Mary  Frank,  Mary 
Alfred,  Mary  Addison,  Mary  James,  Mary  Caleb,  Mary 
Seth,  et  al.  Two  aunts,  both  named  Hannah  Small, 
are  Aunt  Hannah  Isaac  and  Aunt  Hannah  Alfred. 
Two  grandmothers,  both  Paines,  are  Grandmother 
Nancy  and  Grandmother  Sylvia.  By  an  almost  uni- 
versal custom,  people  are  called  by  their  first  and 
middle  names.  It  is  confusing  to  those  not  to  the 
manner  born,  that  Billy  May  and  Warren  Baker  are 
brothers  named  Smith,  that  Kate  Kelly  and  Billie 
Kilborn  are  brother  and  sister,  and  that  Nina  Sweet 
is  Miss  Willis. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  39 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  speech  is  English,  when 
you  consider  the  stock.  In  1644,  the  whole  Plymouth 
Colony  seriously  debated  moving  to  Eastham.  The 
record  reads,  "Divers  of  the  considerablest  of  the 
church  and  town  removed."  Those  coming  were 
Thomas  Prince,  John  Doane,  Nicholas  Snow,  Josias 
Cooke,  Richard  Higgins,  John  Smalley,  Edward  Bangs. 
Thomas  Prince  was  three  times  elected  governor  of  the 
colony,  and  a  special  dispensation  was  given  that  he 
might  continue  to  live  in  Eastham.  His  old  pear  tree 
brought  from  England,  was  flourishing  only  a  few  years 
ago.  The  door-stone  of  the  Governor's  house  in 
Eastham  was  given  to  the  Pilgrim  Memorial  Associa- 
tion, and  is  placed  at  the  entrance  to  the  Pilgrim 
Monument  in  Provincetown,  where  all  who  enter  cross 
the  stone  so  often  pressed  by  the  feet  of  those  who  were 
building  a  new  world. 

To  these  first  settlers  in  Eastham  was  added 
another  group  called  the  second  comers.  They  were 
Rev.  John  Knowles,  Joseph  Collins,  William  Myrick, 
John  Young,  Thomas  Paine  and  others.  From  these 
families  the  whole  lower  end  of  the  Cape  was  populated. 
All  were  of  pure  English  stock  and  their  descendants 
are  all  related.  Their  speech,  their  manners,  and 
their  very  names  appear  in  Blackmore's  Lorna  Doone, 
where  he  paints  the  life  of  Devonshire,  Eng.,  whence 
many  Cape  Cod  people  came. 


How  the  Town  Was 
Laid  Out 

HERE  is  the  harbor  broad  and  deep.     At  full 
tide,   boats   go   to   high-water-mark;     at   low 
water,   the  gently   sloping  shore   is   safe  and 
easy.     Here  is  the  level  sandy  beach,  circling  the  blue 
harbor,  like  the  gold  setting  of  a  sapphire. 

Up-along-the-shore  and  Down-along-the-shore  the 
fathers  made  their  homes.  Few  built  on  the  hills. 
Who  would  live  "Up-back?"  They  were  squatters, 
with  no  title  from  the  Indians  and  none  from  the 
Commonwealth.  Their  lots  ran  along  the  shore,  and 
extended  from  the  harbor  to  the  ocean.  When  sons 
married,  fathers  gave  them  a  place  close  by  for  building 
the  new  house;  so  that  we  became  a  series  of  neighbor- 
hoods. Way-up-along,  on  Gull  Hill,  were  two  brothers, 
Joshua  Paine  and  Nathaniel  Paine  from  Truro.  There 
the  soil  was  good,  and  "Nancy  had  the  prettiest  flower 
bed  in  town."  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  were  the 
houses  of  John  and  Arnold  Small,  also  from  Truro; 
their  wives  were  sisters,  and  cousins  to  the  Paines. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  41 

Next  toward  the  east  was  Stephen  Nickerson  and  his 
sons,  and  after  Abraham  Small  and  the  Sopers,  connected 
by  marriage,  came  another  Nickerson  neighborhood, 
Seth  Nickerson  and  his  sons,  Jonathan  Nickerson  and 
his  sons,  Thomas  Nickerson  and  his  sons.  Stephen, 
Jonathan,  Seth  and  Thomas  were  cousins. 

Then  the  Lancy  neighborhood,  and  the  Free- 
mans;  Nathan,  Phineas,  Charles,  Prince  and  Hatsuld. 
Then  came  a  neighborhood  where  three  Paine  brothers 
married  three  Nickerson  sisters;  and  two  Paines, 
brothers  to  the  first  group,  married  two  Nickerson 
sisters,  who  were  cousins  to  the  other  girls.  And  yet 
there  are  persons  in  town  who  correctly  trace  their 
genealogy.  Then  Conants,  Ryders,  Atkinses,  Atwoods, 
Hills,  Doanes,  Hatches,  Smalls,  Collinses,  Higginses, 
Cooks,  oh,  many  Cooks,  Riches,  Bangses,  Williamses, 
Bushes,  Mayos,  and  others.  Some  names  once  nu- 
merous, are  now  gone. 

Many  of  these  old  families  had  coats-of-arms. 
About  1830,  a  man  named  Cole  traversed  the  Cape  and 
furnished  the  aristocracy  with  these  beautiful  designs, 
at  a  good  price.  He  knew  something  of  heraldry,  and 
what  he  did  not  know  his  artistic  fancy  supplied.  Many 
of  the  coats-of-ams  are  decorated  with  corn-stalks,  some 
of  them  display  an  American  flag,  most  of  them  are 
valueless,  except  as  they  have  been  a  treasured  keep- 
sake in  a  family  for  near  a  hundred  years.  Who  would 
believe  that  scarcely  fifty  years  after  the  Revolution, 
these  old  patriots  would  be  buying  coats-of-arms? 
They  were  the  people  who  during  that  war,  from  a 
village  of  twenty-three  families,  gave  twenty-eight 


42  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

men  to  the  American  cause.  But  they  bought  the 
coats-of-arms,  and  we  prize  'em.  Not  many  people  in 
town  are  eligible  for  the  Revolutionary  Societies. 
Since  five  hundred  British  ships  were  captured  by 
American  privateers,  we  can  guess  the  reason  why  our 
names  do  not  appear  on  the  records. 

The  Street 

At  first  there  was  no  street.  They  carried  their 
burdens  in  boats;  they  carried  their  dead  on  a  bier. 
In  1829,  the  Provincetown  minister,  Mr.  Stone,  wrote 
to  a  friend,  "Would  you  believe  that  there  is  a  town  in 
the  United  States,  with  eighteen  hundred  inhabitants, 
and  only  one  horse,  with  one  eye?  Well,  that  town  is 
Provincetown,  and  I  am  the  only  man  in  it  that  owns 
a  horse,  and  he  is  an  old  white  one  with  only  one  eye." 
A  Provincetown  boy,  seeing  a  carriage  driven  along, 
wondered  how  she  could  steer  so  straight  without  any 
rudder.  Shebnah  Rich,  in  his  History  of  Truro,  says: 
"There  was  no  road  through  the  town.  With  no  carts, 
carriages,  wagons,  horses  or  oxen,  why  a  road  ?  Every 
man  had  a  path  from  his  house  to  his  boat  or  vessel, 
and  once  launched,  he  was  on  the  broad  highway  of 
nations  without  tax  or  toll.  There  were  paths  to  the 
neighbors,  paths  to  school,  paths  to  church;  tortuous 
paths  perhaps,  but  they  were  good  pilots  by  night  or 
day,  by  land  or  water.  Besides,  at  low  water  there 
was  a  road  such  as  none  else  could  boast,  washed 
completely  twice  a  day  from  year  to  year,  wide  enough, 
and  free  enough,  and  long  enough  if  followed,  for  the 
armies  of  the  Netherland."  This  street  led  downward 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  43 

to  the  sea  and  landward  to  the  West. 

Nevertheless,  early  deeds  speak  of  the" Town  Rode," 
and  it  seems  that  the  present  Front  Street,  laid  out  by 
the  County  Commissioners  in  1835,  must  have  followed 
a  well-beaten  track,  the  "Town  Rode."  Of  course  there 
was  great  opposition  to  such  an  innovation  as  a  street. 
"We  don't  need  it,"  "We  can  walk  along  shore  as  well 
as  ever  we  did."  "It  will  cost  too  much."  It  did 
cost  31273.04  for  land  damages.  "We  don't  want  any 
street  along  our  back  door."  The  houses  faced  the 
water  then;  since  then  some  of  the  houses  have  been 
turned  around;  some  of  them  still  have  the  front  door 
on  the  shore  side.  One  man,  a  doctor,  who  had  not 
lived  long  in  town,  proposed  that  the  street  be  made 
sixty-four  feet  wide,  but  they  soon  voted  down  such 
foolishness  as  that  from  foreigners.  He  tried  to  com- 
promise on  thirty-two  feet,  but  twenty-two  feet  seemed 
wide  enough  for  all  possible  purposes,  and  twenty-two 
feet  wide  it  is.  The  greatest  difficulty  arose  when  the 
County  Commissioners,  "supervised  by  a  committee  of 
three  representing  the  town,"  took  land.  When  they 
reached  Lancy's  Corner,  Mr.  Lancy  came  out  and  said: 
"Whoever  saws  through  my  salt-works,  saws  through 
my  body."  And  Joshua  Paine  replied,  "Where's  a 
saw?"  Nevertheless,  the  road  went  round  the  Lancy 
property  and  makes  the  two  bad  turns  now  so  danger- 
ous. 

The  Sidewalk 

No  sooner  was  the  street  laid  out  than  extravagant 
souls  began  to  talk  of  a  sidewalk.  The  time  was 
auspicious  because  the  town  had  some  easy  money  to 


44  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

spend.  This  was  during  Jackson's  administration 
when  the  Government  had  its  debt  paid  and  had  in  the 
national  treasury  340,000,000  surplus  revenue.  This 
surplus  was  divided  among  the  States,  and  by  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  was  sub-divided 
among  her  towns.  With  this  money  the  town  paid 
its  debt,  and  appropriated  something  for  schools.  The 
remainder,  the  conservatives  wanted  to  put  out  at 
interest,  and  the  progressives  wanted  to  use  to  build  a 
plank  sidewalk.  Debate  in  town  meeting  lasted  a 
week.  When  it  was  apparent  how  close  the  vote  would 
be,  some  one  challenged  Mr.  Abraham  Chapman  (a 
sidewalk  man)  as  not  an  American  citizen.  Full  of 
indignation,  Mr.  Chapman  demanded  to  know  what 
was  meant  by  such  a  word  as  that,  and  it  was  explained 
to  him  that  his  folks  were  Tories  during  the  Revolution- 
ary War;  that  they  had  gone  from  town  to  Nova 
Scotia,  where  he  was  born;  that  he  was  six  months 
old  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  that  therefore 
he  was  not  an  American  citizen  and  not  entitled  to 
vote.  But  Mr.  Chapman's  vote  was  admitted  and 
when  at  last  the  votes  were  counted  there  were  one 
hundred  and  forty-nine  ayes  and  one  hundred  and 
forty-eight  nays,  and  the  sidewalk  was  built  in  1838. 
Neither  the  town  records  nor  the  records  of  the  Com- 
monwealth tell  what  Provincetown's  share  of  this 
surplus  was,  but  tradition  affirms  that  we  received 
36000.  So  incensed  were  some  of  the  fathers  at  the 
use  of  the  surplus  revenue,  that  they  refused  ever  to  walk 
on  the  sidewalk  and  they  continued  all  their  lives  to 
plough  through  the  sand.  Those  who  were  young  then 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  45 

remembered  to  their  dying  days  how  springing  and 
delightful  was  the  new  plank  sidewalk.  They  do  say 
that  Cape  Cod  girls  know  the  trick  of  walking  in  the 
sand  without  filling  their  shoes.  Try  this,  ye  off- 
islanders.  Lift  your  feet  high,  toe  in  a  bit,  and  put 
your  feet  down  flat. 

The  King's  Highway 

The  present  main  street  through  the  town  is  "the 
Terminal  of  the  King's  Highway,"  laid  out  in  1717-20 
"to  connect  to  and  through  the  Province  Lands." 
From  Eastham  it  passed  around  the  ponds  in  the 
Wellfleet  woods,  came  down  through  Truro  woods 
near  the  ocean  to  the  vicinity  of  the  head  of 
Pamet  River  by  the  present  Coast  Guard  Station, 
continuing  northward  still  through  the  woods  along 
by  the  Lodge  at  the  Highlands,  on  by  Ocean  Farm, 
passing  about  two  hundred  yards  west  of  the  Highland 
Coast  Guard  Station,  along  to  the  head  of  Eastern 
Harbor  meadows,  across  the  sand  dunes  to  the  harbor, 
(probably  over  Snail  Road,)  "to  and  through  the  Prov- 
ince Lands,"  whose  eastern  boundary  is  the  Eastern 
schoolhouse.  The  present  highway  over  Beach  Point 
was  laid  out  at  a  later  date,  about  1850. 

The  bridge  across  East  Harbor  was  built  in  1854. 
It  was  destroyed  by  the  ice  a  couple  of  years  later,  and 
rebuilt.  Before  the  building  of  the  bridge,  all  travel 
up  the  Cape  went  across  those  drifting  sand  hills  to  the 
north  and  east  of  the  dyke;  hills  which  whaling  cap- 
tains say  look  exactly  like  the  Desert  of  Sahara.  They 
remind  others  of  the  snow-clad  hills  of  Labrador. 
Bradford  street  was  laid  out  in  1873. 


46  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

The  Town  Landings 

The  streets  running  off  Commercial  Street  are 
continuations  of  the  town  landings.  These  public 
landings  are  all  along  the  shore,  open  for  any  one  to 
moor  his  boat  or  unload  his  fish.  One  is  at  the  foot  of 
West  Vine  Street;  one  at  the  foot  of  Franklin  Street; 
one  at  the  end  of  Good  Templar  Street,  which  is  the 
continuation  of  an  alley  running  into  Pleasant  Street. 
One  is  across  the  front  street  from  Atlantic  Avenue. 
One  is  at  the  west  side  of  the  Excelsior  engine  house; 
one  west  of  the  Post  Office;  one  at  Milliard's  wharf 
opposite  Freeman  Street;  one  at  the  foot  of  Pearl 
Street.  The  streets  opposite  the  landings  are  the  old 
paths  that  led  to  the  fish-flakes,  to  the  salt-works,  to 
the  Backside.  All  these  streets  converge  into  four 
well-marked  old  roads.  They  are  sandy  roads  and 
hard  to  travel  (except  the  State  Highway),  but  they 
skirt  the  beautiful  ponds,  cross  the  dunes  and  lead  to 
the  ocean.  One  is  the  Race  Road,  at  the  west  end; 
one  is  the  Atkins  Mayo  Road,  laid  out  in  1803,  not  far 
from  the  Eastern  schoolhouse;  one  is  Snail  Road,  west 
of  Mayflower  Heights;  one  is  the  Nigger  Head  Road, 
now  the  State  Highway,  running  out  just  east  of  John- 
son Street,  smooth  and  easy  for  walking  or  for  auto- 
mobiles. 

It  was  hard  to  protect  those  old  roads  from  the 
sinking  sand  beneath  them  and  the  shifting  sand  beside 
them.  They  were  hardened  with  turf  cut  from  the 
hills,  and  covered  with  clay,  with  brush,  with  shells, 
with  chips,  with  old  nets,  with  coal  ashes  and  cinders, 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  47 

but  nothing  was  sufficient  to  make  a  permanent  and 
hard  road  till  the  modern  macadam  was  used.  One 
would  suppose  that  even  this  would  be  cut  by  the 
heavy  auto-trucks,  but  on  the  contrary,  the  roads  down 
the  Cape  are  considered  among  the  best  in  the  State. 

Indefinite  Bounds 

When  the  town  was  set  off  as  a  Precinct,  the  bounds 
between  Truro  and  the  Province  Lands  were  deter- 
mined by  representatives  from  the  General  Court. 
These  bounds  were  fixed  by  marked  trees,  "running 
from  the  jaw-bone  of  a  whale  set  in  the  ground  near  a 
red  oak  stump  and  running  to  a  red  cedar  post  set  in  a 
sand  hill,  to  the  North  Sea."  The  directions  are  fixed 
by  compass,  but  no  distances  are  given.  Many  old 
deeds  describe  land  as  running  from  somebody's  flake- 
yard  to  the  salt-works  of  somebody  else.  Here  is  an 
instance  of  a  careless  bound.  George  Adams  kept  a 
shop  which  stood  and  still  stands  on  the  shore.  Trade 
was  good  as  long  as  travel  was  along  shore,  but  when 
the  street  was  laid  out  and  people  walked  on  the  side- 
walk, his  trade  suffered.  He  asked  the  town  to  lay  out 
a  road  from  the  street  to  his  shop.  This  the  town 
refused  to  do.  Then  he  applied  to  the  county  to  lay 
out  a  county  road  for  his  use  and  that  of  his  customers. 
The  county  did  this,  and  the  work  of  the  county 
commissioners  is  recorded  in  the  Barnstable  Records, 
Book  2,  page  129,  as  follows:  "Commencing  at  a  point 
on  the  county  road  running  through  Provincetown, 
five  and  a  half  feet  westward  of  the  dwelling  house 


48  THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

occupied  by  Nathan  Freeman,  at  a  Notch  cut  in  a 
board  fence,  and  thence  running  south  forty-eight 
degrees  and  thirty  minutes  east  by  compass  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  and  a  half  feet  to  the  west 
corner  of  an  outbuilding  or  necessary  belonging  to  the 
said  George  M.  Adams,  and  sitting  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  his  land.  The  foregoing  described  line  con- 
stitutes the  north-easterly  side  of  the  way  now  laid  out, 
and  the  south-westerly  side  is  to  be  nine  feet  from  this 
line  in  all  places." 

The  Wharves 

About  the  time  the  street  and  sidewalk  were  built, 
wharves  began  to  appear  along  the  shore.  The  first 
wharf  was  built  opposite  Masonic  Hall  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Lothrop.  His  neighbors  predicted  that  the  tide  would 
cut  away  the  sand  from  the  piles,  and  the  wharf  would 
fall.  They  might  have  recalled  how  hopeless  is  a 
vessel  caught  on  a  bar.  The  sea  rots  the  piles,  some- 
times the  ice  breaks  them,  but  the  sand  holds  them. 
The  Union  Wharf  was  built  in  1831,  by  Jonathan, 
Stephen  and  Thomas  Nickerson  and  Samuel  Soper. 
Then  followed  thirty  wharves  in  twenty  years.  The 
schoolhouses  were  built  soon  after,  and  the  churches. 

Prosperous    Times 

Business  of  all  kinds  flourished,  till  Provincetbwn 
was  reckoned  the  richest  town  per  capita  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Judge  Henry  D.  Scudder  in  his  oration  at 
the  first  anniversary  of  the  Cape  Cod  Association  in 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  49 

1851,  said:  " Provincetown,  the  Sahara  of  Cape  Cod, 
where  all  the  freehold  property  which  nature  ever  gave 
her,  if  bid  off  at  public  sale,  would  hardly  satisfy  the 
auctioneer.  Provincetown,  in  proportion  to  her  popu- 
lation, is  not  only  the  wealthiest  town  upon  the  Cape, 
but  in  personal  estate  is,  I  think,  the  richest  town  in 
all  the  Commonwealth." 

Most  of  the  houses  were  story-and-a-half-houses, 
an  architecture  characteristic  of  Cape  Cod  and  har- 
monius  with  the  setting.  They  were  set  twenty  feet 
back  from  the  sidewalk,  with  a  little  lawn  in  front. 
They  have  been  razed  for  more  pretentious  dwellings; 
they  have  been  modernized;  they  have  been  extended 
to  the  sidewalk,  but  these  changes  have  rarely  been 
improvements. 


Salt-Making 


THEY  prospered  on  the  water.  And  on  the  land? 
Back  of  the  houses  were  the  Salt-works. 
A  mill  at  the  foot  of  the  rising  pumped  sea-water 
into  vats,  through  hollow  logs  made  tight  at  the  joints 
with  white  lead.  The  vats  were  about  twenty  feet 
square  and  eighteen  inches  deep.  They  were  arranged 
in  groups  of  three  or  four,  the  water-room,  the  bitter- 
water-room,  the  salt-room.  The  sea-water  in  the  vats 
exposed  to  the  sun,  rapidly  evaporated,  leaving  the 
salt.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  gallons  of  water  pro- 
duced one  bushel  of  salt.  As  the  clear  salt  was  shov- 
elled from  the  last  vat  and  spread  out  to  dry,  the 
partly  evaporated  water  in  the  bitter-water-room  was 
allowed  to  run  into  the  salt-room,  and  new  water  was 
pumped  into  the  water-room.  These  vats  had  covers 
on  rollers,  which  were  pushed  over  the  vats  at  night 
or  at  signs  of  a  shower.  These  rollers  were  ten  inches 
in  diameter;  occasionally  one  of  them,  now  used  as  a 
foot-stool,  can  be  found.  A  man  and  a  boy  could 
manage  the  covers.  As  the  boys  of  the  family  grew  up 
and  went  off  to  sea,  boys  from  Boston  were  adopted  to 
help  with  the  salt-works.  They  were  seldom  legally 
adopted,  but  they  were  in  all  respects  members  of  the 
family.  Some  of  these  boys  grew  to  be  among  our 
best  citizens. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  51 

Salt-making  was  exceedingly  profitable.  The  cost 
of  building  the  salt-works  was  small.  Uncle  Jonathan 
took  his  Grand  Banker,  when  she  got  home  in  the  fall, 
and  with  his  boys  as  crew,  went  to  Maine  and  bought 
cedar  posts,  pine  planks  and  joists,  brought  them  home 
in  the  vessel,  and  threw  them  overboard  at  high  tide. 
Men  carried  the  lumber  on  their  backs  up  from  the 
shore  to  a  level  place  not  far  from  the  dwelling  house, 
and  there  they  built  a  "string  of  salt-works,"  sixty  or 
eighty  vats.  The  work  of  tending  salt-works  was  done 
by  elderly  men  and  boys,  with  sometimes,  when  black 
clouds  rolled  up  in  the  west,  the  help  of  the  women. 
The  noise  of  many  covers  rolling  over  the  vats,  when  a 
shower  threatened,  rivalled  the  thunder  itself.  Before 
the  days  of  salt-works,  when  salt  was  manufactured  in 
a  kettle  over  the  fire  in  the  fire-place,  its  cost  was  eight 
dollars  a  bushel.  In  1837,  Provincetown  had  seventy- 
eight  salt-works,  producing  48,960  bushels  of  salt,  and 
the  price  was  one  dollar  a  bushel.  That  would  give  an 
income  of  more  than  six  hundred  dollars  for  the  old 
man  and  the  boys,  during  the  summer,  while  the 
Bankers  were  away.  The  brine  left  in  the  bitter  water 
room,  evaporating  slowly  during  the  winter,  yielded  a 
little  pin-money  in  the  form  of  Epsom  or  Glauber's 
salts.  Reduction  of  the  duty  on  salt,  the  repeal  of  the 
bounty,  the  discovery  of  salt  in  New  York  State, 
ruined  the  salt  making  here.  The  salt-works  were 
dismantled,  and  houses  and  stores  were  built  of  the 
lumber.  The  two-story  fish-stores,  common  along  the 
shore,  unpainted,  but  well  proportioned,  with  double 
doors  large  enough  to  take  in  a  boat,  below  and  above, 


52 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


were  made  of  salt-works  boards.  They  are  now  used 
as  studios  by  the  artists.  The  beams  and  the  inside 
boards,  so  long  saturated  with  salt,  are  silvery;  they 
will  last,  I  suppose,  to  the  end  of  time.  This  shining 
background  carries  the  draperies  and  the  pictures  of 
the  artists.  The  building  that  looks  to  the  chance 
passer-by  like  a  bare  barn,  is  all  beautiful  within.  The 
house  with  rust  around  every  nail-hole,  though  well 
painted,  that  house  was  built  of  salt-works. 


Provincetown  in  1839 


Cod-Fishing 


IN  THE  State  House  in  Boston  hangs  the  "sacred 
cod-fish,"  emblem  of  the  prosperity  of  Massachu- 
setts. The  following  is  from  the  Official  Guide- 
book of  the  State  House.  "Wednesday,  March  17, 
1784,  Mr.  John  Rowe  moved  the  House  that  leave 
might  be  given  to  hang  up  the  representation  of  a 
cod-fish  in  the  room  where  the  house  sit,  as  a  memorial 
of  the  importance  of  the  Cod  Fishery  to  the  welfare  of 
this  Commonwealth,  as  has  been  usual  formerly. 
Possibly  an  emblem  hung  in  the  old  State  or  Town 
House,  but  as  this  structure  was  burned  Dec.  9,  1747. 
The  cod-fish  doubtless  was  destroyed.  The  State 
House  in  State  street  was  erected  in  1748,  and  although 
it  is  not  known  when  the  cod-fish  was  restored,  in  a 
bill  of  1783,  presented  by  Thomas  Crafts  Jr.,  to  the 


54  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  the  following  item 
appears:  'To  painting  cod-fish — 15  shillings.'  As 
moved  by  Mr.  Rowe,  the  emblem  was  suspended  in 
the  House,  remaining  there  until  transferred  to  the  new 
State  House,  with  the  archives  in  1789,  and  suspended 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  Just  before  its  trans- 
fer it  received  a  fresh  coat  of  paint,  as  shown  by  a  bill 
of  Dec.  6,  1797,  from  Samuel  Gore,  'Painting  cod-fish 
—12  shillings.'  On  March  7,  1895,  it  was  ordered  that 
the  Sergeant-at-Arms  be  and  is  hereby  directed  to 
cause  the  immediate  removal  of  an  ancient  representa- 
tion of  a  Cod-fish  from  its  present  position  in  the 
chamber  recently  vacated  by  the  House,  and  to  cause 
it  to  be  suspended  in  a  suitable  place  over  the  Speaker's 
chair  in  the  new  chamber.  A  committee  of  fifteen, 
under  the  escort  of  John  G.  B.  Adams,  Sergeant-at- 
Arms,  proceeded  to  the  old  chamber  when  the  emblem 
was  lowered,  wrapped  in  an  American  flag,  and  borne 
to  the  House  of  Representatives,  by  four  messengers. 
It  was  repaired  and  painted  by  Walter  M.  Brackett, 
at  an  expense  of  3100,  and  on  April  29,  1895  was  ordered 
to  be  hung  opposite  the  Speaker's  chair.  The  codfish 
is  made  of  pine;  measures  four  feet  eleven  in  cheslong, 
and  ten  inches  through  the  largest  part  of  the  body." 

Thus  Mr.  John  Rowe  put  into  the  form  of  a  motion 
before  the  General  Court,  the  sentiment  of  Captain 
John  Smith  two  hundred  years  before,  that  the  fisheries 
of  Cape  Cod  are  better  than  a  gold  mine.  Perhaps 
Mr.  Rowe  prefaced  his  motion  with  a  speech,  telling 
how  the  schools  had  been  supported  by  a  tax  on  fish, 
the  minister  in  the  same  way,  and  how  pensions  for 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  55 

old  soldiers  had  come  out  of  the  State's  fish  money. 
Perhaps  he  went  on  to  say,  after  the  manner  of  political 
orators:  "The  fishing  towns  of  the  Commonwealth, 
ruined  by  the  Revolutionary  War,  have  perked  up 
again,  now  that  the  Yankees  in  the  treaty  of  peace 
have  forced  the  Britishers  to  allow  us  to  fish  on  the 
Grand  Banks,  without  reciprocal  rights  of  fishing  on 
our  coast."  Mr.  Rowe  could  readily  make  much  of 
this,  for  governments  find  it  easy  to  manipulate  the 
fisheries.  A  man  owns  and  controls  his  farm,  but  who 
owns  the  fish  in  the  sea?  The  fishing  business  is  a 
most  uncertain  business.  There  is  always  the  uncer- 
tainty of  what  the  Government  may  do.  Changes  of 
tariff  or  of  bounties  may  make  or  break  a  fleet  of 
vessels  in  a  single  year. 

Fish  come  and  fish  disappear  and  nobody  knows 
why  they  go  or  where.  Methods  of  fishing  change  also. 
In  1885  there  was  invested  in  fishing  in  this  town 
3964,573,  in  wharves,  in  vessels,  in  oufittter's  firms,  and 
all  the  related  industries,  as  sail-lofts,  block-maker's 
shops,  rigger's  lofts,  iron-worker's  places,  marine  rail- 
ways, etc.  Now  scarcely  a  vestige  of  all  this  is  left. 
Seines,  weirs,  motor-boats,  refrigerating  plants  have 
entirely  supplanted  the  Grand  Bankers,  the  mackerel 
catchers  and  the  whalers.  The  whole  story  of  fishing 
is  one  of  big  voyages  and  broken  voyages,  of  flush 
times  and  lean  times,  of  vessels  coming  in  scuppers 
down,  and  vessels  coming  in  light  as  a  bladder.  Noth- 
ing is  better  property  than  a  vessel  with  lucky  wood 
in  her,  and  nothing  deterioriates  so  fast  as  a  vessel 
hauled  up. 


On  the  Grand  Banks 

Dr.  Johnson  said  that  going  to  sea  was  going 
to  prison  with  a  chance  of  being  drowned,  besides. 

THIS  is  the  way  the  Bankers  looked,  as  they 
sailed  away  for  the  Grand  Banks  in  April.  In 
early  days  they  fished  over  the  rail,  half  the 
men  fishing,  and  half  dressing  down,  turn  by  turn. 
The  cook  was  usually  a  boy  ten  years  old;  the  only 
qualification  necessary  for  the  berth  of  cook  was  the 
strength  to  lift  the  "great  pot."  In  those  days  they 
made  three  trips  a  year  to  the  Banks  and  they  had 
good  reason  to  hope  for  thirty  per  cent  on  the  money 
invested,  each  trip.  Captain  John  Paine  Havender 
made  fifty-seven  successful  voyages,  and  never  made 
a  broken  one.  On  one  voyage  in  the  Raritan  he  was 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  57 

gone  from  home  seven  weeks  and  cleared  as  his  share 
32200.  He  relates  the  perils  of  fishing  on  the  Banks, 
as  set  forth  by  Jennings  in  his  little  book,  thus:  "We 
were  at  anchor  to  the  windward  of  the  Main  Shoal,  a 
big  fleet  there  with  us.  A  heavy  gale  came  up,  but 
the  fleet  thought  they  could  ride  it  out.  As  the  gale 
increased  and  the  shoal  water  to  the  le'ward  was 
breaking  mast-head  high,  all  at  once  the  vessel  gave  a 
lurch,  and  I  knew  we  were  adrift.  Grabbing  an  ax,  I 
ran  for'ard  and  cut  the  cable  at  the  windless,  hoisted 
the  jib,  and  went  aft  and  put  up  the  helm.  As  I  did 
so,  a  tremendous  sea  rushed  down  on  us  and  I  thought 
our  last  voyage  was  over.  But  the  jib  and  the  helm 
brought  her  stern  to  the  sea,  and  rising  on  it  we  were 
driven  ahead  ten  knot.  I  expected  every  second  that 
she  would  go  end  over  end,  but  quicker  than  I  can  tell 
it,  we  were  over  the  shoal  and  in  smoother  water,  where 
we  reefed  the  fores'l,  and  hove  her  to  and  rode  out  the 
gale.  When  the  wind  moderated,  we  went  back  to  the 
fishing  grounds  and  finished  up  our  trip.  The  rest  of 
the  fleet  thought  we  had  gone  to  the  bottom;  that  no 
vessel  could  go  over  the  Main  Shoal  and  through  the 
breakers  and  come  out  alive." 

Now,  they  fish  with  trawls  from  dories,  two  men 
in  a  dory.  If  you  ask  what  a  trawl  is,  there  is  a 
classic  answer  from  one  who  knows:  "A  trawl  is  what 
you  go  trawling  with."  A  trawl  line  is  often  a  mile 
long  and  carries  a  thousand  hooks. 

When  the  bankers  left  home,  they  carried  sixty  to 
a  hundred  and  fifty  hogsheads  of  dry  salt.  Day  by 
day,  as  the  fish  were  caught  and  dressed,  the  supply  of 


58  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

salt  was  wet,  that  is,  was  used,  until  the  voyage  was 
done.  When  we  natives  desire  to  say  with  emphasis 
that  an  undertaking  is  completed,  we  say,  "I  have  wet 
my  salt!"  Having  said  that,  further  expostulation  or 
entreaty  is  futile.  We  are  done.  The  men  go  out 
from  the  vessel  in  dories  and  draw  the  trawls,  and 
bring  the  fish  aboard  the  vessel,  where  they  are  dressed. 
The  throater,  the  gutter,  the  splitter  are  skillful  with 
the  knife;  the  fish  are  carefully  washed,  salted  and 
stored  in  the  kench  in  the  hold;  the  tongues  and  sounds 
are  salted  in  barrels;  the  livers  cared  for;  the  decks 
swabbed  down,  and  the  men  who  had  their  breakfast 
at  three  in  the  morning  are  ready  for  the  bunk. 

All  this  is  in  the  day's  work.  Sometimes  fog 
hangs  thick  and  heavy  and  the  men  in  the  dories  can 
not  find  their  way  back  to  the  vessel.  Sometimes  an 
ocean  liner,  a  thousand  times  as  large  as  the  stout 
little  banker,  looms  above  them  out  of  the  fog,  and 
the  men  shiver  to  see  her  rush  by,  thankful  that  she 
did  not  ride  them  down.  A  good  story  and  an  accurate 
description  of  life  on  the  Banks  is  given  in  Kipling's 
Captains  Courageous. 

Home  again  in  September!  While  the  vessel  was 
yet  a  great  way  off,  before  she  made  Wood  End,  men 
on  the  hills  with  glasses  saw  her  and  knew  her  name 
and  ran  and  told  whether  she  was  coming  in  deep  or 
light.  The  fish  were  pitched  into  dories,  boated  ashore, 
and  thrown  into  the  water,  there  to  be  washed. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


59 


Washing  Fish 

This  is  the  way  they  wheeled  up  the  fish  from  the 
water.  The  banker's  crew  and  every  man  along  shore 
washed  the  fish.  To  all  these  men,  the  owners  of  the 
vessel  were  expected  to  give  a  dinner.  Slang  of  to-day 
speaks  of  a  "whale  of  a  job."  That  is  exactly  what 
Cape  Cod  women  mean  when  they  say,  "I  would  as 
soon  get  up  a  fishermen's  dinner." 


Drying  Fish 


60  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

This  is  how  they  dried  the  fish  on  flakes.  They 
were  spread  every  morning  and  piled  and  covered  every 
night.  If  sometimes  the  girls  said:  "0  father,  you 
smell  fishy!"  father  replied,  "Smells  money,  girls." 

The  Stock  Company 

The  vessel  and  the  voyage  were  a  stock  company, 
with  the  stock  divided  into  sixteenths.  When  a  new 
vessel  was  to  be  built,  the  outfitters  took  one  eighth, 
the  Capt'n  an  eighth,  the  sail-maker,  the  block-maker, 
the  spar-maker,  the  rigger,  each  took  a  sixteenth;  the 
remainder  was  taken  by  the  neighbors  and  the  outfitter. 
Somebody  would  take  a  share  for  the  privilege  of 
naming  the  vessel;  this  privilege  carried  with  it  the 
gift  to  the  vessel  of  the  colors. 

The  Store  of  the  Outfitter 

The  crew  went  on  shares  or  hired  as  they  chose. 
While  a  man  was  away  at  sea,  his  family  lived  from  the 
store  of  the  outfitter.  These  stores  kept  everything, 
and  the  goods  were  always  arranged  in  the  same  order, 
beginning  with  dogfish  chain  hanging  in  the  corner, 
with  hooks  and  lines  next,  the  raisins  and  crackers  and 
cheese  in  a  convenient  place,  a  very  limited  stock  of 
candy  in  glass  jars  near  by,  dry  goods,  crockery, 
hardware,  around  the  store  to  the  spy-glass  on  a  rack 
at  the  rear  door.  Down  cellar  were  flour,  molasses, 
potatoes,  kerosene  and  the  corn-crib.  In  the  attic 
were  oil-clothes,  nests  of  boxes,  coils  of  rope,  etc.,  etc., 
etc. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  61 

The  Sailor's  Wife 

A  woman  at  home  took  pride  in  keeping  down  the 
bills  at  the  store  while  her  man  was  away  at  sea. 
Her  standing  in  the  community  was  partly  determined 
by  the  amount  due  him  when  the  voyage  was  settled.  If 
she  could  leave  his  voyage  untouched,  she  was  a  smart 
one.  Some  poor  fellows,  however,  always  came  home 
to  find  their  voyage  eaten  up. 

The  Bank 

The  outfitters  did  also  the  work  of  a  bank;  receiv- 
ing, investing  and  lending  money.  The  Union  Wharf 
Company  was  really  a  bank,  a  branch  of  Freeman's 
Bank  in  Boston  till  the  organization  of  the  Province- 
town  National  Bank,  in  1854.  One  night,  the  little 
old  safe  in  the  Union  Wharf  Store  was  broken  open 
and  the  cash,  about  315,000,  was  stolen.  A  few  days 
later,  the  company  received  word  that  if  they  would 
say  no  more  about  it,  they  would  find  the  money  under 
the  steps  of  the  South  Truro  Meeting  House.  And 
there  they  found  it. 

Insurance 

The  thrifty  Cape  Codders  hated  to  pay  out  money 
to  "them  Boston  Insurance  Fellers,"  so  they  organized 
a  local,  mutual,  marine,  insurance  company,  which 
charged  low  rates  and  was  able  to  pay  good  dividends. 

Some  outfitters  went  so  far  as  to  be  their  own 
insurance  company.  This  was  prudent,  but  nerve- 


62  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

racking  in  bad  weather.  The  story  is  told  of  an  owner 
who  dreamed  of  seeing  one  of  his  captains  on  the 
Banks  with  his  throat  cut.  Next  morning  he  placed 
heavy  insurance  in  Boston.  Before  Saturday  night 
the  captain  was  in  with  the  biggest  voyage  he  ever 
made. 

Settling  the  Voyage 

There  was  an  accepted  system  of  settling  the 
voyage.  First  the  great  generals  were  taken  out  of  the 
total.  The  great  generals  were  bait,  salt,  gear,  ice, 
towing,  and  canal  charges  if  any.  Then  an  eighth  of 
the  remainder  was  allowed  for  shrinking,  and  a  four- 
teenth for  curing  the  fish.  Then  the  difference  between 
an  eighth  and  a  fourteenth  was  given  the  owners. 
Nobody  seems  to  know  why  this  little  dividend  went 
to  the  owners  here,  except  that  custom  decreed  it. 
Then  the  vessel's  part  was  taken  out,  and  that  was  a 
third  or  a  quarter  as  agreed  upon  in  advance,  then 
the  small  generals  which  were  the  food.  The 
balance  went  to  the  sharesmen,  who  paid  the  wages  of 
the  men  who  were  hired,  (out  of  their  share).  A  voyage 
to  the  Grand  Banks  lasted  about  five  months.  Each 
of  the  crew  earned  approximately  three  hundred  dollars 
besides  his  food.  Profits  of  owners  varied.  To  quote 
one  who  had  been  at  it  many  years:  "You  think  you 
will  get  rich,  but  you  don't;  you  think  you  will  go  to 
the  poor-house,  but  you  do  not  get  there." 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  63 

After  the  Voyage 

The  heyday  of  the  year  came  after  the  voyage  was 
settled  and  before  it  was  time  to  fit  out  again.  Those 
who  think  that  Provincetown  must  be  dull  after  the 
summer  boarders  go,  forget  that  then  many  men  are 
at  home  with  money  in  their  pockets,  who  feel  that 
after  a  voyage  at  sea  they  are  entitled  to  a  good  time 
ashore.  They  had  a  part  in  everything  from  the 
revival  meetings  in  the  Methodist  Church  to  the 
Masonic  Ball  in  Town  Hall.  The  Minstrel  Show  and 
the  Dramatic  Exhibition  packed  the  hall;  the  Old 
Folks  Concert,  with  Cale  Cook,  who  "caluped  it"  on 
the  bass  viol,  filled  the  church.  The  beauty  of  Prof. 
Penniman's  Cantata,  Flora's  Festival,  given  sixty  years 
ago,  has  never  been  forgotten.  Still  persists  the  effect 
on  the  health  of  the  town,  of  a  series  of  lectures  on 
sanitation  and  hygiene  given  by  Dr.  Miller.  He  used 
a  skeleton  and  a  manikin  and  many  charts,  and  gave 
most  sensible  and  instructive  lectures.  Everybody 
in  town  paid  the  price  of  admission  and  went  to  hear 
him.  The  worst  storm  of  the  winter  did  not  diminish 
his  audience.  Men  and  women  donned  rubber  boots 
and  went  to  Dr.  Miller's  lecture. 

The  old  Capt'ns  had  a  debating  club  where  they 
thrashed  out  topics  the  modern  forums  would  not  dare 
to  touch:  The  North  Pole,  Spiritualism,  Prohibition, 
Mesmerism,  Endless  Punishment,  Free  Trade,  and  the 
Merits  of  a  Ship  Against  a  Schooner.  The  debate  on 
Temperance  waxed  personal,  and  one  member  was 
told,  "I  can  smell  it  on  your  robin."  In  the  days  of 


64  THE   PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

the  Lyceum,  the  best  speakers  in  the  country  came  to 
Provincetown.  The  Odd  Fellows  had  a  large  library 
for  their  members,  and  the  Sunday  Schools  all  had 
good  collections  of  books. 

Buying  a  Farm 

They  dreamed  and  they  talked  of  the  time  coming 
when  they  would  go  to  sea  no  more,  but  would  buy  a 
farm  in  Vineland,  New  Jersey.  They  always  specified, 
however,  that  they  would  not  buy  a  farm  in  Vineland, 
New  Jersey,  till  they  could  get  a  patent  milker. 

Farming,  and  especially  a  cow,  is  a  kind  of  joke 
to  us.  A  minister  from  the  country  settled  here  and 
naturally  thought  it  a  good  idea  to  keep  a  cow,  but 
his  usefulness  was  gone  when  he  became  known  as  the 
Cow  Minister. 

Once  upon  a  time,  grandmother  attempted  to  keep 
a  cow.  The  cow  was  a  wandering  cow  and  a  nuisance 
to  grandmother  and  the  neighbors,  till  grandmother's 
son  determined  to  sell  her,  and  nobody  would  buy. 
One  of  the  vessels  was  almost  ready  for  sea  when  a 
man  came  anxious  to  ship.  Son  told  him  that  they 
did  not  need  another  man,  but  that  if  he  would  take 
his  pay  in  cow,  he  could  go  aboard.  The  man  said  he 
would  do  this,  if  the  cow  could  be  delivered  at  his  place 
in  Truro.  Early  the  next  morning,  before  light,  son 
sneaked  out  of  town  leading  the  cow.  He  met  no  one 
but  the  post-master  getting  ready  the  early  mail.  The 
cow  in  her  new  home  was  at  her  old  trick  of  journeying 
abroad.  In  about  a  week  came  a  letter  addressed 
to  "The  Man  Who  Sold  a  Cow  to  Elisha  Rich."  This 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


65 


the  post-master  promptly  delivered  to  the  right  person, 
and  for  years  the  laugh  was  on  the  man  who  sold  a 
cow  to  Elisha  Rich. 

Farm  Bureau 

The  work  of  the  Cape  Cod  Farm  Bureau  connected 
with  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  is  giving 
dignity  and  instruction  to  phases  of  life  on  Cape  Cod 
in  which  there  are  great  possibilities. 


The  Fleet 


Mackerel-  Catching 

MACKEREL-catching  is  less  prosaic  than  Cod- 
fishing.  Schools  of  mackerel  follow  the  coast 
from  North  Carolina  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy  in 
the  spring,  and  back  again  in  the  fall.  The  mackerel- 
catchers  follow  the  fish.  A  good  skipper  can  mark  the 
place  of  the  schools  almost  to  a  day.  The  mackerel- 
catchers  are  built  to  be  swifter  than  the  bankers,  and 
much  more  rakish.  They  are  never  far  from  the  coast 
and  they  make  harbor  often.  I  tell  not  of  the  dull  old 
days  when  men  fished  over  the  rail;  when  they  used 
their  own  hook  and  line  and  owned  what  they  caught; 
literally  every  man  on  his  own  hook;  not  of  the  days 
when  they  went  set-netting  or  dragging;  but  of  the 
high  days  of  mackerel-catching  with  a  purse-seine.  A 
purse-seine  is  large  and  deep  and  can  be  drawn  up  to 
form  a  pocket  in  the  center.  The  vessel  follows  along 
near  the  school,  every  man  on  board,  some  in  the 
rigging,  some  at  the  bow,  watching  for  signs  of  fish. 
Old  skippers  locate  the  fish  when  the  evidence  is  so 
slight  that  they  themselves  can  hardly  tell  how  they 
do  it,  whether  by  a  little  ripple  on  the  water,  or  by  a 
difference  in  color  or  by  an  odor.  But  they  seldom 
make  a  mistake.  The  crew  board  the  seine  boat  and 
surround  the  school,  carefully,  quietly,  lest  the  fish  get 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  67 

wild.  "Now  boys,  pus  up!"  The  lower  edge  of  the 
seine  is  gathered  together  by  ropes  leading  to  the 
middle,  and  in  the  purse  are  a  hundred  barrels  of 
mackerel.  If  it  is  a  big  school,  and  the  seine  does  not 
break,  there  are  three  hundred  barrels. 

Captain  L.  Dow  Baker 

Fish,  however,  are  not  as  foolish  as  they  look,  and 
after  a  time  when  a  thousand  sail  were  following  them, 
they  left  for  parts  unknown  or  they  were  extermin- 
ated, and  mackerel  catching  went  to  nothing.  Some 
of  the  captains  used  their  vessels  for  freighting  to  the 
West  Indies.  One  man,  Captain  L.  Dow  Baker,  of 
Wellfleet,  brought  back  from  Jamaica  a  cargo  of  ban- 
anas, bought  there  for  little,  sold  here  for  much.  Out 
of  this  venture  grew  the  United  Fruit  Company,  owned 
at  first  by  Captain  Baker  and  his  friends,  and  managed 
by  his  family  and  his  neighbors. 

Captain  Si.  Chase 

After  the  mackerel  had  been  out  of  knowledge  for 
ten  years,  Captain  Josiah  Chase,  in  a  port  in  South 
Africa,  saw  mackerel  and  mackerel  a-plenty.  He  came 
home,  fitted  out  a  schooner  and  went  back  to  South 
Africa  to  catch  those  mackerel.  He  died  there  of  fever 
before  he  made  a  voyage.  The  next  year  the  mackerel 
were  again  on  our  coast.  The  fleet  said  that  the 
mackerel  said  that  if  Si  Chase  was  after  them,  they 
might  as  well  come  and  be  caught  first  as  last.  There 
is  now  only  a  small  fleet  of  mackerel-catchers.  Motor 
boats  and  deep  water  traps  are  used  instead. 


Whaling 


"Whales  in  the  sea 
God's  voice  obey." 

From  the  New  England  Primer,  published  about 
1785. 

"The  mighty  whale  doth  in  these  harbors  lie, 
Whose  oyle  the  mearchant  deare  will  buy." 
William  Morrell,  in  Plymouth,  1623,  published  in 
London. 

Richard  Mather  came  to  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony  in  1635,  where  he  saw  mighty  whales  "spewing 
up  water  in  the  air  like  smoke  from  a  chimney,  of  such 
incredible  bigness  that  I  will  never  wonder  that  the 
body  of  Jonah  could  be  in  the  belly  of  a  whale." 

"In  1725,  Paul  Dudley  of  Massachusetts  commun- 
icated to  the  Royal  Society  of  London  an  essay  upon 
the  Natural  History  of  Whales.  Since  that  day  the 
literature  of  whales  has  multiplied  to  an  appalling 
degree.  Much  has  been  written,  little  is  accurately 
known,  for  whales  can  not  be  observed  and  compared 
at  will,  without  much  labor." — Glover  M.  Allen,  Secre- 
tary and  Librarian  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  69 

"The  Whaleman's  Joys" 
(From  Walt  Whitman's  Songs  of  Joy) 

Othe   whaleman's   joys.     O,    I    cruise    my    old 
cruise  again. 
I  feel  the  ship's  motion  under  me — I  feel  the 
Atlantic  breezes  fanning  me. 
I  hear  the  cry  sent  down  again  from  the  mast-head 

"There  she  blows" 
Again  I  spring  into  the  rigging  to  look  with  the  rest. 

We  see.     We  descend  wild  with  excitement. 
I   leap   into  the  lowered   boat.     We  row  toward  our 

prize — where  he  lies — 

We  approach  stealthily  and  silent — I  see  the  mountain- 
ous mass,  lethargic,  basking 

I  see  the  harpooner  standing  up — I  see  the    weapon 
dart  from  his  vigorous  arm. 

0  swift  again.     Now  far  out  in  the  ocean,  I  see    the 

wounded  whale  settling,  running  to  windward, 
tows  me. 
Again  I  see  him  rise  to  breathe — we  row  close  again — 

1  see  a  lance  driven  through  his  side,   pressed  deep, 

turned  in  the  wound. 
Again  we  back  off — I  see  him  settle  again — the  life  is 

leaving  him  fast. 
As  he  rises  he  spouts  blood — I  see  him  swim  in  circles 

narrower  and   narrower,   swiftly   cutting   the 

water,  I  see  him  die. 
He  gives  one  convulsive  leap  in  the  center  of  the  circle 

and  then  falls  flat  and  still  in  the  bloody  foam 


70  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

A  Long  Story 

Two  men  passed  by  my  window.  One  said 
"Whale  out  in  the  Bay."  The  other  replied:  "Any 
herring  in  the  Harbor?"  This  word  "Whale  hard  by" 
is  that  spoken  by  the  Pilgrims  the  first  day  here. 
Since  that  time  the  story  of  whaling  has  been  a  roman- 
tic adventure,  all  of  which  we  understand,  a  part  of 
which  we  are.  Beginning  with  whales  hard  by  and 
herring  for  their  appetite,  with  dead  whales  washed 
up  on  the  shore  so  many  that  the  Fathers  were  willing 
to  give  one  eighth  part  to  the  Indians,  of  voting  the 
drift  whales  for  support  of  the  schools  and  the  minister, 
the  story  of  whaling  runs  out  into  Massachusetts  Bay, 
to  the  Hatteras  Grounds,  to  the  Bay  of  Mexico,  to 
Central  America,  to  the  WTest  Coast  of  Africa,  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  to  the  Arctic. 

A  Tablet 

A  movement  is  now  afoot  to  erect  a  tablet  to  all 
Provincetown  whalemen  and  their  Captains.  If  this 
is  done,  the  tablet  will  record  vessels  and  men  who  have 
sailed  in  all  these  waters.  One  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  whalers  have  registered  in  Provincetown  since  1820. 

For  many  years  before  1620,  English,  Dutch  and 
Norwegians  had  whaled  around  Greenland  and  the 
Arctic.  Our  men  knew  this,  and,  as  soon  as  whales  grew 
wary  of  the  shore,  they  were  ready  to  follow  them  into 
deep  water. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  71 

From  the  Boston  News  Letter  in  1727 

"We  hear  from  the  towns  on  the  Cape  that  the 
whale-fishing  has  failed  much  among  them  this  winter, 
as  it  has  for  several  winters  past,  but  having  found  out 
the  way  of  going  to  sea  upon  that  business,  and  having 
had  much  success  in  it,  they  are  now  fitting  out  several 
vessels  to  sail  in  the  spring." 

From  the  Boston  News  Letter  in  1737 

"A  dozen  vessels  from  Cape  Cod,  some  of  them  of 
a  hundred  tons  burden,  are  fitting  out  for  Davis  Straits 
whaling,  so  that  not  more  than  twelve  or  fourteen  men 
are  left  at  home." 

There  cleared  from  Provincetown  in  1820,  six 
whalers;  in  1869,  fifty-four;  now  not  one. 

Price  of  Oil 

During  the  Civil  War,  the  price  of  sperm  oil  was 
as  high  as  32.50  a  gallon.  Now  that  petroleum  can 
be  refined  for  every  purpose,  whaling  is  not  profitable. 
However,  in  1917,  the  brig  Viola  owned  by  Captain 
John  Atkins  Cook,  brought  in  1250  barrels  of  sperm  oil, 
and  121  pounds  of  ambergris,  all  valued  at  $75,000. 

Life  on  a  Whaler 

Life  on  a  whaler  was  hard,  but  when  the  captain 
and  crew  were  friends  and  neighbors,  as  ours  were,  it 
was  not  cruel  and  degrading,  as  some  have  pictured  it. 
A  few  old  captains  are  still  living,  quiet  low-spoken  men, 
who  do  not  tell  all  they  might  tell  of  whaling.  The 


72  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

captain  of  a  whaler  must  be  unafraid.  He  steers  his 
boat  within  ten  feet  of  the  whale  for  the  man  with  the 
harpoon  to  strike,  and  the  man  with  the  harpoon  must 
never  be  able  to  say:  "He  did  not  put  me  near  enough 
to  the  whale."  He  must  be  undismayed,  whether  the 
whale  runs  or  dives  or  fights,  or  whether  the  line  around 
the  roller  blazes  up  aflame.  He  must  never  cut  loose 
till  the  boat  is  pulled  under.  He  must  be  a  good 
marksman,  or  he  would  not  have  become  captain. 
"He  missed  a  whale!"  is  said  as  one  speaks  of  a  general 
who  lost  a  battle.  He  must  be  something  of  a  doctor, 
a  dentist,  a  surgeon;  for  men  get  sick  with  the  scurvy 
in  the  long  cruising  before  they  go  into  port  for  lemons, 
onions,  potatoes,  yams,  cocoanuts;  men  are  often  hurt 
in  killing  a  whale;  a  broken  leg,  a  bad  cut,  a  shoulder 
out  of  joint  is  for  the  captain's  care. 

He  must  be  judge  and  father  to  the  homesick  boys. 
He  must  be  a  man  of  business  if  he  goes  into  a  foreign 
port  and  ships  his  oil  home. 

The  mates  have  the  rough  work  to  do.  They  must 
keep  order  aboard  ship.  If  the  weeks  lengthen  into 
months  and  the  men  never  once  hear:  "There  she 
blows!"  from  the  watch  in  the  cross-trees,  they  get 
restless  and  hard  to  manage.  They  play  high-low- 
jack-and-the-game,  till  they  quarrel  over  the  cards 
and  the  mate  throws  overboard  every  card  in  sight. 
They  read  books  of  all  kinds;  the  Bible,  Josephus, 
Latin  Grammar,  Bowditch's  Navigator,  and  STORIES, 
STORIES,  STORIES.  In  early  days  every  man  was 
tattooed  and  some  had  their  ears  pierced  for  earrings. 
They  gossiped  about  every  man,  woman  and  child  in 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  73 

town.  They  told  over  again  all  their  old  yarns.  If 
another  whaler  hove  in  sight,  they  went  aboard  for 
a  gam.  Perhaps  then  they  got  papers  and  letters  from 
home.  On  fourth  of  July,  they  brought  out  the  frosted 
cakes,  "sea-cakes,"  made  by  the  girls  at  home  and 
kept  for  special  occasions. 

Scrimshawing 

With  a  mahogany  log,  whale-bone,  a  lathe  and  a 
knife  they  made  trinkets  of  all  kinds,  elaborately  deco- 
rated. They  made  a  tiny  ship  with  masts  and  all  the 
ropes  so  attached  to  a  thread,  that  the  model  could  be 
inserted  into  a  small-necked  bottle,  and  the  masts  and 
the  rigging  then  raised  to  their  places,  by  pulling  the 
thread.  They  made  beautiful  spoolers.  But  those  not 
skillful  with  the  knife  and  the  lathe  could  do  scrim- 
shawing. Everybody  attempted  scrimshawing.  Now 
scrimshawing  was  decorating  the  whale-bone  in  colors. 
Using  a  paper  pattern,  they  traced  with  a  knife,  a 
design,  and  then  retraced  it  with  a  point  dipped  in 
India  ink,  indigo  or  a  dye  made  from  logwood.  Whale's 
teeth  thus  decorated,  were  simply  an  ornament  for 
the  whatnot,  but  the  busks  were  used  as  stays  for  a 
lady's  waist.  When  busks  went  by  for  this  purpose 
mothers  utilized  them  in  disciplining  children.  ''If 
you  are  not  a  good  child,  I'll  busk  you." 

The  Captain's  Wife 

The  wife  of  the  captain  often  went  along,  and 
many  a  Cape  Cod  child  was  born  in  mid-ocean,  an 


74  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

American,  if  born  under  the  American  flag.  Albatross, 
"Trossy,"  is  the  beautiful  name  borne  by  one  woman 
born  off  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  name  given  by  the 
older  children  to  interpret  the  story  of  the  stork.  The 
captain's  wife  was  a  good  navigator,  with  occasion 
sometimes  to  test  her  skill.  Once  upon  a  time,  there 
was  a  woman  who  always  went  to  sea  with  her  husband 
(on  foreign  voyages,  not  whaling)  because  the  owners 
refused  the  ship  unless  she  was  aboard.  On  the  voyage 
she  was  the  navigator;  in  port  she  was  the  financier. 
When  the  captain  died,  she  asked  the  owners  for  the 
ship,  for  just  one  more  voyage,  with  the  same  mates 
who  had  been  her  faithful  friends  for  many  voyages. 
The  owners  declined  to  send  a  ship  to  sea  with  a  woman 
captain,  and  she,  who  for  years  had  been  the  real 
captain  of  a  ship,  was  compelled  thereafter  to  go  out 
sewing  for  a  living. 

Ambergris 

The  tedium  of  whaling  would  be  intolerable,  were 
it  not  for  the  chance  of  a  fortune  which  every  morning 
brings.  Perhaps  a  whale  to-day  and  before  night  we 
may  be  dipping  from  his  head  bucketsful  of  the  clear 
case  oil.  Perhaps  to-morrow  we  shall  be  cutting  in  and 
trying  out  a  hundred  barrels.  Perhaps  ambergris. 
Ambergris  is  found  in  the  intestines  of  a  diseased  whale. 
It  is  a  gray,  hard,  waxy  lump  as  big  as  your  fist,  as  big 
as  a  bucket,  having  about  the  density  of  water,  for 
sometimes  it  floats,  and  sometimes,  alas,  it  sinks.  It 
forms  a  base  which  retains  the  fragrant  oils  used  in 
perfumery.  It  is  worth  more  than  its  weight  in  gold. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  75 

In  the  Arctic 

Whaling  for  bone  in  the  Arctic  is  the  latest  phase 
of  whaling.  A  captain  goes  across  the  continent  to 
join  his  ship  in  San  Francisco,  sails  for  the  far  North 
in  the  spring,  whales  during  six  weeks  of  the  summer, 
returns  to  the  mouth  of  an  Alaskan  river  in  September, 
roofs  over  the  ship  and  is  frozen  in  till  June,  whales 
again  the  second  summer,  and  unless  he  has  poor  luck 
and  must  stay  another  year,  he  returns  to  San  Francisco 
in  the  fall.  He  probably  receives  letters  and  papers  by 
Esquimau  sled  once  each  year.  During  the  long  dark 
winter  the  crew  hunt  and  trade  with  the  Esquimaux 
and  find  them  friendly. 

McMillan 

Few  of  our  men  now  go  whaling,  but  our  Jotty 
Small  is  with  our  Donald  McMillen  exploring  Baffin's 
Land,  and  the  incipient  merchant  marine  is  being 
recruited  by  our  boys,  both  Yankee  and  Portuguese. 

Alabama  Claims 

Any  story  of  whaling  in  Provincetown  must  include 
the  Alabama  Claims.  During  the  Civil  war,  Confeder- 
ate cruisers,  among  them  the  Alabama,  fitted  out  in 
English  ports,  made  prizes  of  Provincetown  whalers. 
The  crew  of  the  whaler  were  landed  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  given  as  compensation  for  their  loss,  a  Confederate 
bond.  Some  of  these  bonds  are  still  in  existence.  In 
1872,  a  joint  commission,  chosen  to  settle  the  claims  of 


76  THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

the  United  States  against  England,  made  an  award  of 
315,000,000  to  this  Government.  This  money  was 
paid  by  the  Government  to  those  who  had  suffered 
loss.  It  is  wonderful  how  such  losses  breed.  The 
vessel  and  fittings,  her  cargo  and  the  voyage  she  would 
have  made  had  she  not  been  captured,  the  wages  of 
officers  and  crew  and  compound  interest  on  all  these 
items  for  ten  years,  made  those  who  had  escaped 
the  Alabama  wish  that  they  also  had  been  captured. 

French  Claims 

Payment  of  the  Alabama  Claims  revived  the  talk 
of  the  French  Spoliation  Claims,  and  the  hope  that  now 
they  might  change  from  dreams  into  money. 

"35,000,000  for  unlawful  seizures,  captures  and 
destructions  of  vessels  and  cargoes,  old  General  Jack- 
son had  forced  the  French  to  pay!  Compound 
interest  for  forty  years!"  But  nothing  ever  came  of  it. 

The  Mason  and  Slidell  Gale 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Civil  War,  Mason  and 
Slidell,  special  envoys  from  the  Southern  Confederacy 
to  Great  Britain  and  France,  were  on  their  way  to 
England  in  the  Trent,  an  English  mail  steamer.  Cap- 
tain Charles  Wilkes  of  the  United  States  Sloop-of-war, 
San  Jacinto,  overhauled  the  Trent  and  demanded  the 
envoys,  who  were  delivered  up  to  him.  He  took  the 
prisoners  into  Fortress  Monroe  and  sent  word  to  Wash- 
ington of  his  exploit.  President  Lincoln  knew,  and  the 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  77 

people  of  Cape  Cod  knew,  that  the  war  of  1812  had  been 
fought  for  just  this  reason,  the  overhauling  of  neutral 
ships  on  the  high  seas.  We  knew  this  and  we  saw  that 
the  President  was  right  in  ordering  the  release  of  the 
prisoners.  However,  when  a  United  States  ship  on 
her  way  to  Fort  Warren,  in  Boston  Harbor,  with  the 
prisoners  on  board,  made  Provincetown  Harbor  during 
a  fearful  storm,  the  people  of  the  town  sought  to 
vindicate  the  President  and  at  the  same  time  make 
way  with  Mason  and  Slidell  by  praying  to  the  Lord 
to  sink  the  ship.  That  storm  is  the  Mason  and  Slidell 
Gale. 


Fresh-Fishing 


THE  wind  is  seldom  so  high,  and  the  cold  is  rarely 
so  intense  but  the  Boston  market  is  served  with 
fresh  fish.  The  fresh-fishing  vessels  are  built  for 
speed.  They  make  trips  of  a  few  days  or  a  few  weeks, 
going  wherever  there  are  fish,  sometimes  only  a  mile 
or  two  from  shore,  sometimes  a  hundred  miles  southeast 
to  George's  Bank.  A  fleet  of  power-boats  and  motor- 
dories  also  comes  and  goes  about  the  shore.  Fresh- 
fishermen  are  at  sea  in  the  pleasant  days  of  summer 
and  in  the  awful  days  of  winter,  when  they  come  into 
port,  floating  icebergs. 

Thus  a  fisherman  described  his  day's  work. 
"Yes  we  got  into  trouble  in  that  breeze  Sunday.  He 
jibed  her  over  and  then  he  jibed  her  back  again  too 
quick,  and  snapped  her  foremast  short  off.  There  was 
the  fores'l  all  in  rags,  new  fores'l  too,  and  the  rigging 
going  back  and  forth  across  the  deck,  over  the  dories 
and  under  the  dories,  and  a  block  swinging  from  aloft 
just  above  the  men's  heads,  (kilFem  if  it  hit  'em)  and 
a  hell  of  a  sea  going.  So  cold  a  man  could  stand  watch 
but  fifteen  minutes.  We  had  twelve  thousand  of  fish 
and  lost  six  of  them,  and  got  into  Boston  all  iced  up." 

The  Clipper 

The  story  of  the  evolution  of  the  clipper  from  the 
clumsy  old  traps  of  the  early  days  is  a  story  as  wonder- 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  79 

ful  as  that  of  the  locomotive  from  the  wheelbarrow. 
When  we  look  at  the  model  of  the  Mayflower,  high  out 
of  water,  bow,  stern  and  amidship,  we  are  not  sur- 
prised that  she  was  sixty-seven  days  crossing  the 
Atlantic.  The  wonder  is  that  she  crossed  at  all. 

The  first  vessels  and  small  boats  made  by  the 
Pilgrims  for  use  along  the  shore,  seem  to  have  been 
built  on  the  lines  of  these  old  caravels,  unmanageable 
in  bad  weather,  and  hard  to  steer  against  the  wind. 
Their  first  attempts  at  fishing,  also,  were  not  successful, 
though  they  tried  it  at  Plymouth,  at  Weymouth,  at 
Cape  Ann  and  elsewhere.  Edward  Winslow  wrote: 
"Though  our  bays  and  creeks  are  full  of  bass  and  other 
fish,  yet  for  want  of  fit  and  strong  seines  and  other 
netting,  they  for  the  most  part  break  through  and 
carry  all  before  them." 

They  quickly  saw,  however,  the  advantage  of  the 
light  canoes  of  the  Indians,  and  they  began  to  experi- 
ment. They  made  a  boat  with  masts  without  stays, 
and  with  square  sails  that  must  be  lowered  in  order  to 
tack.  They  made  the  pinkie,  the  lugger,  the  dog-body, 
the  ketch,  the  cod-head-and-mackerel-tail,  the  heel- 
tapper,  the  jigger  and  the  schooner,  till  there  has  been 
developed  a  type,  safe,  swift  and  beautiful,  a  craft 
that  spreads  twelve  hundred  yards  of  duck  and  that 
sails  within  three  points  of  the  wind  in  all  weathers. 

We  no  longer  hear  dreadful  stories  of  a  vessel 
on  her  beam  ends  and  the  crew  in  the  rigging  frozen 
with  horror  while  they  wait  for  her  to  right,  or  of  a 
vessel  bottom  up  with  the  remnant  of  the  crew  clinging 
to  the  bottom,  drifting,  starving,  dropping  into  the  sea. 


80  THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Seldom  now  a  vessel  sails  and  is  not  heard  of 
till  the  men  along  the  shore  begin  to  say,  "She 
is  overdue,"  and  later,  "The  owners  are  getting  anx- 
ious," and  at  last,  "The  Lloyds  have  given  her  up." 
Then  a  funeral  sermon  is  preached  for  the  men  on 
board  the  vessel  never  reported.  Once  a  minister  with 
such  a  service,  said:  "Their  bodies  are  in  the  deep 
and  their  souls  are  doubtless  in  hell."  The  widow  of 
the  captain  and  mother  of  the  two  sons  who  were 
the  captain's  mates,  sat  in  the  front  pew  and  listened 
to  the  funeral  sermon  for  her  husband  and  her  sons. 
Her  head  under  her  black  crepe  veil  sank  lower  and 
lower  as  she  listened.  The  neighbors  helped  her  walk 
from  the  meeting-house,  home.  The  women  took  off 
her  black  crepe  veil  and  her  black  dress  and  put  her 
to  bed,  from  which  she  never  again  raised  her  head. 

The  minister  said  that  he  had  done  his  duty. 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  81 


The  Lipton  Cup 

We  are  proud  of  the  trophy  displayed  in  Town 
Hall,  won  in  the  Fishermen's  race,  1907. 


The  Inscription  on  the  Cup: 

Won  by  Sch. 

Rose  Dorothea 

Capt.  Marion  Perry 

Aug.  1,  1907 

Presented  by 

Sir  Thomas  Lipton,  K.  C.  V.  O. 

Boston  Old  Home  Week 

1907. 


Allied  Industries 

Boat  Building 

WHEN  white  oak  grew  on  the  hills,  large  vessels 
were  built  on  the  shore,  small  boats  also,  a 
hundred  and  fifty  of  them  in  1845.  A  boat- 
shop  is  an  attractive  place.  The  piles  of  clean  lumber, 
the  wide  doors  open  to  the  harbor,  the  neighbors  with 
the  news  make  it  a  good  place  to  loaf  in.  If,  however, 
one  does  not  belong  to  the  clan,  it  is  difficult  for  him 
to  find  conversation  in  the  shop,  or  even  to  discover 
the  shop  itself,  tucked  away  behind  other  buildings  on 
the  shore.  For  the  initiated  there  are  shrewd  judg- 
ments of  people  and  events.  A  pretty  and  stylish 
young  girl  of  a  petered-out  family  passed  by.  One 
man,  scanning  the  horizon,  said:  "Rigged  like  a  yacht." 
Another,  studying  an  imaginary  Arithmetic,  "Naught 
from  naught  and  naught  remains." 

Life  Boats 

In  these  boat-shops  are  built  the  Government 
life-boats.  When  the  Life  Saving  Service  was  first 
established,  the  Government  furnished  all  the  stations 
with  flat-bottomed  boats,  such  as  were  used  on  the 
New  Jersey  coast.  These  our  men  could  not  use  on 


84  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

this  shore.  At  the  wreck  of  the  Annie  J .  Fort  the 
life-crew  at  Peaked  Hill  Bars  tried  in  vain,  all  day 
long,  to  launch  the  Government  life-boat.  When  they 
were  exhausted,  Captain^ Isaac  Mayo,  a  spectator  on 
the  shore,  sent  into  town  for  a  whale-boat,  and  called 
for  a  volunteer  crew.  The  boat  was  carted  across  the 
beach  and  manned  by  a  fresh  crew.  They  knew  a 
whale-boat.  They  knew  that  a  boat,  with  a  keel, 
narrow,  sharp  at  both  ends,  and  deep,  could  be  launched 
through  the  breakers  and  could  be  safely  beached  on 
its  return.  They  watched  their  chance,  they  ran  her 
off  beyond  the  breakers,  they  saved  the  men  on  the 
wreck.  A  picture  of  this  crew  launching  their  boat 
hangs  in  the  Public  Library.  After  this  experience  the 
Government  had  the  boats  for  the  Cape  Cod  service 
built  on  Cape  Cod,  by  Cape  Cod  men.  They  are  a 
little  smaller  than  a  whale-boat,  and  they  have  air-tight 
compartments.  For  a  long  time  they  were  built  by 
William  W.  Smith,  who  prided  himself  that  boats  put 
on  the  stocks  Monday  morning  were  finished  Saturday 
night. 

Sail-lofts 

Where  there  are  vessels  there  must  be  sail-lofts. 
A  sail-loft  is  also  an  attractive  place,  with  a  wide,  clean 
floor,  and  rolls  of  white  duck,  and  coils  of  new  rope. 
He  is  a  skilled  draftsman  who  cuts  a  suit  of  sails  that 
fit  perfectly,  and  he  is  clever  with  a  palm  who  sews 
them.  The  vessel  going  out  of  the  harbor  with  new 
sails  that  "draw"  is  the  butt  of  the  watching  connois- 
seurs on  the  shore.  To  say  of  any  person:  "I  don't 
like  the  cut  of  his  jib,"  is  to  express  suspicion. 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  85 

Spar-yards 

There  must  be  a  spar-yard  with  its  odorous  floor 
of  pine  chips.  Long  before  Bell  and  the  telephone, 
Cape  Cod  children  knew  that  the  scratching  of  a  pin 
at  one  end  of  a  sixty-foot  stick  could  be  heard  by  an 
ear  held  close  to  the  other  end  of  the  spar.  Where 
there  are  vessels  there  must  be  block-makers,  with 
a  log  of  lingum  vitae  at  the  door;  there  must  be 
calkers  with  their  ringing  mallets;  and  riggers  with 
knives  in  their  belts;  and  painters,  for  no  self-respecting 
crew  would  ship  in  a  dinghy,  and  no  high-liner  of  a 
capt'n  would  put  to  sea  in  a  vessel  that  did  not  look 
shipshape. 

Uncle  Disher 

Where  there  are  vessels  there  must  be  a  black- 
smith's forge,  not  often  busy  with  horses  to  be  shod, 
but  always  red  with  iron-work  for  the  vessels.  This  is 
the  story  they  tell  in  the  Blacksmith's  Shop: 

Once  upon  a  time,  Uncle  Disher  thought  he  would 
make  an  anchor.  Now  Uncle  Disher  was  not  very 
bright,  but  he  put  the  iron  in  the  fire  and  he  heated  it 
red-hot  and  he  put  it  on  the  anvil  and  he  pounded  and 
he  pounded  and  he  pounded,  but  when  he  got  it  done, 
it  was  too  small  for  an  anchor.  So  Uncle  Disher 
thought  he  would  make  a  horse-shoe.  He  put  the 
iron  in  the  fire  and  he  heated  it  red-hot  and  he  put  it 
on  the  anvil  and  he  pounded  and  he  pounded  and  he 
pounded  and  when  he  got  it  done,  it  was  too  small  for 


86  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

a  horse-shoe.  So  Uncle  Disher  thought  he  would  make 
a  nail.  He  put  the  iron  in  the  fire  and  he  heated  it 
red-hot  and  he  put  it  on  the  anvil  and  he  pounded  and 
he  pounded  and  he  pounded,  and  when  he  got  it  done, 
it  was  too  small  for  a  nail.  So  Uncle  Disher  said  he 
would  put  it  into  the  water  and  make  a  tiss.  This  is 
the  story  told  to  the  ambitious  with  the  warning, 
"Look  out  now  that  you  don't  make  a  tiss." 

Up  the  Railway 

Where  there  are  vessels  there  must  be  marine 
railways  where  vessels  are  hauled  out  for  repairs.  At 
high  water  the  cradle  was  slid  under  the  waiting  vessel; 
a  pair  of  stout  horses  walked  round  and  round  the 
capstan  in  the  railway  house  (with  a  notch  cut  in  the 
roof  for  the  vessel's  boom),  and  they  pulled  the  vessel 
up  the  ways.  There  the  calkers  calked  her,  and  if 
she  was  going  to  southern  waters,  they  coppered  her, 
and  the  painters  painted  her  and  they  made  her  tight. 
Children  always  loved  to  watch  a  vessel  come  up  and 
to  see  Lion  and  Tiger  walk  round  and  round  the 
capstan,  waiting  for  the  time  when  Lion  and  Tiger 
should  get  dizzy  and  fall  down,  as  the  big  boys  said 
they  would  some  day.  But  Lion  and  Tiger  never  did 
fall  down.  The  best  place  to  go  old-junking  was  under 
the  railway,  after  a  vessel  had  been  coppered. 

Cod  Liver  Oil 

On  every  wharf  in  town  were  try-works,  an  iron 
kettle  containing  three  barrels,  on  a  brick  foundation, 
where  fish  livers  were  tried  out  for  oil.  Dog-fish  livers 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


87 


yielded  a  crude  oil  for  tanning  and  making  rope. 
Fresh  cod  livers,  over  a  slow  fire,  stirred  constantly 
lest  they  burn,  yielded  the  medicinal  Cod  Liver  Oil. 
In  1848,  Mr.  Joseph  Burnett,  an  apothecary  of  Boston, 
induced  Mr.  Nathaniel  Atwood  to  fit  his  vessel  with 
the  necessary  equipment  and  go  to  Labrador  and  there 
catch  the  cod  and  try  out  the  livers  on  board.  Later, 
perhaps  encouraged  by  his  friend  and  teacher  Prof. 
Agassiz,  Mr.  Atwood  did  an  extensive  business  in  his 
shop  here,  both  manufacturing  and  bottling  the  oil. 
This  work  is  still  done  in  little  kettles  along  the  shore, 
but  the  emulsions  on  the  market  have  lessened  the 
demand  for  pure  oil.  Time  was  when  a  barrel  of  oil 
made  four  hundred  bottles,  and  a  bottle  sold  for  half 
a  dollar. 


Blackfish  Oil 

The  finest  lubricating  oil,  used  on  certain  bearings 
of  United  States  battleships  and  lighthouses,  used  on 
expensive  watches  and  clocks,  is  refined  from  black- 
fish  head  oil.  This  fine  oil  is  extracted  from  a  quantity 


88  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

which  has  been  subjected  to  intense  cold  and  has 
congealed  to  look  like  lard.  From  this  frozen  mass  is 
pressed  a  small  amount  of  oil  that  will  not  chill.  This 
process  takes  two  years. 

The  blackfish  are  small  whales,  five  to  thirty  feet 
long,  which  swim  in  schools  of  hundreds.  Following 
the  herring  or  the  squid,  they  come  close  in,  and  some- 
times run  ashore  on  the  beach.  If  they  remain 
sporting  about  in  the  bay,  a  noisy  crew  in  a  boat  can 
drive  them  to  their  destruction.  In  the  head  is  the 
melon,  I  suppose  the  brains,  from  which  this  finest  oil 
is  made.  Schools  of  five  hundred,  of  two  thousand,  have 
been  taken  along  the  Cape  Shore.  Marshal  Foch,  on 
his  tour  of  the  United  States,  was  presented  with  a 
watch  by  the  Boston  Post.  With  the  watch  was  a  tiny 
bottle  of  oil  made  by  Mr.  David  Stull  of  our  town,  the 
same  David  Stull  who  is  the  "Ambergris  King." 

Besides  the  fishing,  large  enough  to  be  dignified 
by  the  name  of  business,  there  are  incidental  dollars 
to  be  gathered  from  the  sea.  Any  boy  can  make  a 
lobster-pot,  and  with  care  he  can  catch  a  few  lobsters; 
men,  women  and  children  go  clamming  at  fifty  cents 
a  bucket.  Flounders,  once  fed  to  the  pigs,  are  the 
delicious  flatfish,  and  they  are  salable;  pollock,  despised 
pollock,  are  the  famous  Boston  blues;  whiting,  which 
the  town  used  to  bury  on  the  shore,  are  the  delicate 
silver  perch;  when  squid  strike  they  can  be  almost 
dipped  up  at  ten  cents  a  bucket;  and  the  Picketts 
buy  small  mackerel  for  canning.  In  the  old  days  when 
in  order  to  get  the  bounty,  a  man  must  go  fishing 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  89 

forty  weeks  in  the  year,  whether  there  were  fish  or 
not,  he  could  always  go  bounty  catching. 

Knitting  Net 

At  the  kitchen  window  of  every  home  and  in 
every  back-shop  hung  a  net.  All  members  of  the 
family  and  all  loafers  in  the  back-shop  were  expected 
to  knit  on  the  net,  so  that  it  grew  continually.  Chil- 
dren too  young  to  knit  (and  a  child  was  too  young 
till  he  could  knit  without  making  a  slip-knot)  filled 
needles.  The  size  of  the  lease,  around  which  the 
twine  was  thrown,  determined  the  size  of  the  mesh, 
and  whether  the  net  was  to  be  for  spurling,  for  herring, 
for  mackerel  or  for  bluefish.  Four  or  five  cents  a  yard 
was  the  standard  price  for  knitting;  a  fast  knitter 
could  do  a  yard  an  hour;  some  knitters  could  knit  and 
read.  The  nets  were  seventy-five  yards  long  and 
eighty  meshes  deep.  That,  with  the  corks  on  one  side 
and  the  leads  on  the  other,  made  a  net  worth  about 
fifteen  dollars.  Hundreds  of  nets  were  made  every 
winter.  In  due  time  a  machine  was  invented  for 
knitting  nets.  Everybody  in  town  took  stock  in  the 
new  knitting  company  in  Boston,  and  it  proved  very 
profitable.  One  condition  of  the  stock  was  that  the 
company  should  have  first  chance  to  buy  any  stock 
sold,  and  that  when  a  stock-holder  should  die,  his 
stock  could  be  bought  in  by  the  company.  Thus  the 
whole  of  this  valuable  property  has  gone  into  the 
possession  of  the  company,  now  the  American  Net  and 
Twine  Company,  and  of  the  Linen  Thread  Company  of 


90  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

England.     Many  people  in   town   know  how  to   knit 
net,  and  in  many  an  attic  are  needles  and  a  lease. 

Oil  Clothes 

In  the  days  before  sewing  machines,  the  fishermen's 
oil  clothes  were  made  by  the  outfitters.  They  bought 
the  cloth,  cut  the  pants,  the  jacket  and  the  barvel,  and 
put  them  out  for  women  to  sew  in  their  homes.  When 
the  clothes  were  sewed,  they  were  covered  with  linseed 
oil,  two  or  three  coats,  put  on  with  a  paint  brush. 
Rows  of  these  stiff  figures  hung  singly  and  with  arms 
extended  from  fear  of  combustion,  swinging  gently 
in  the  dim  store-loft,  were  a  harrowing  sight  to  a  little 
girl. 

The  Whale  Show 

Far  more  forceful  than  the  hard-worked  word 
efficiency  is  the  English  gumption.  It  was  real  gumption 
that  prompted  two  captains  to  take  a  whale  to  New 
York  on  exhibition.  Anyone  with  a  mathematical 
turn  of  mind,  knowing  how  much  odor  arises  from  one 
pound  of  decaying  meat,  could  calculate  how  great  an 
odor  would  arise  from  a  seventy-ton  whale,  how  much 
disinfectant  would  be  a  daily  necessity,  and  how  long 
a  board  of  health  would  tolerate  a  dead  whale  in  the 
dock.  How  many  people  would  pay  half  a  dollar  to 
see  a  whale,  must  be,  for  the  wisest,  a  guess.  The 
canny  captains  had  taken  all  these  things  into  consider- 
ation, and  they  calculated  rightly  that  a  whale  on 
exhibition  in  New  York  would  be  a  good  thing — how 
good  nobody  but  them  ever  knew. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  91 

Afterward  a  whale  was  put  on  a  specially  construct- 
ed flat  car  by  a  Chicago  syndicate  and  was  exhibited 
in  western  cities.  A  lecturer  went  with  this  show,  and 
the  lecturer  says  that  he  told  a  good  story  and  that  he 
had  a  good  time. 

No  one  has  yet  invented  a  successful  tide-mill, 
though  many  have  tried. 

The  Cold  Storage  Plants 

At  times  in  the  summer,  the  harbor  is  alive  with 
squid,  excellent  for  bait.  At  other  times  there  are  no 
squid.  Then  the  fishermen  are  clamoring  for  fresh 
bait.  So  many  whiting  swim  the  harbor  that  the 
dead  fish  thrown  overboard  by  the  fishing  boats  become 
a  nuisance  on  the  shore.  These  delicate  silver  perch, 
unlike  larger  and  firmer  fish,  can  not  be  sent  to  market 
simply  packed  in  ice.  With  these  facts  in  mind,  Mr. 
D.  F.  Small,  in  1892,  built  a  "freezer."  Experience  has 
proved  that  fish  bite  eagerly  at  the  freezer's  bait  and 
that  food  fish,  if  put  fresh  into  the  freezer,  can  not  be 
distinguished  from  fish  newly  caught.  Since  Mr. 
Small's  venture,  five  other  freezers  have  been  built  at 
the  average  cost  of  3100,000.  These  plants  are  served 
by  traps  in  the  harbor.  They  take  fish  when  fish  are 
plenty  in  the  summer  and  sell,  mostly  in  the  West, 
when  fish  in  the  winter  are  scarce.  A  circulation  of 
ammonia  and  brine  reduces  the  temperature  to  zero 
and  keeps  it  there  day  and  night  for  months.  The 
fish  are  shipped  in  refrigerator  cars  and  reach  market 
in  excellent  condition. 


The  Coast  Guard 

THE  Coast  Guard  was  organized  by  the  United 
States  Government  in  1872.  It  was  called  at 
first  the  Life-Saving  Service.  No  shore  more 
dangerous  than  the  shore  of  Cape  Cod  faces  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  It  has  been  well  called  the  "Graveyard  of 
Ships."  Hundreds  of  wrecks  are  scattered  on  the  bottom 
from  Long  Point  to  Monomoy.  From  1907  to  1917 
there  were  a  hundred  and  fifty-six  wrecks  on  the 
Backside.  Few  early  charts  were  reliable.  The  shift" 
ing  bars  compel  yearly  a  new  survey  and  a  new  chart. 
The  first  lighthouse,  that  at  the  Highland, 
was  built  in  1797,  Race  Point  in  1816,  Long 
Point  in  1826,  Wood  End  in  1873.  Each  year  now 
sees  fewer  disasters.  Improvements  in  the  charts  and 
in  the  lights,  in  the  fog-bells  and  horns,  better 
appliances  for  rescue,  entrance  examinations,  and  regu" 
lar  drill  for  the  men,  and  a  pension  for  the  men  retiring, 
better  models  in  building  vessels,  use  of  power  against 
the  wind,  the  Canal,  all  combine  to  defeat  the  hungry 
sea  and  the  treacherous  sand. 

Wrecks 

Nevertheless,  every  winter  has  its  wreck.  The 
horror  of  those  who  stand  and  see  it  marks  the  date 
more  sharply  than  do  the  figures  of  the  calendar. 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  93 

"My  son  was  born  the  day  the  Caledonia  came  ashore, 
the  first  day  of  January,  1863."  The  Caledonia  was 
an  English  ship  with  broadcloth,  linen,  cotton  cloth 
and  thread,  which  next  morning  were  washing  in  the 
tide.  The  last  of  that  cargo  is  scarcely  used  up  now. 
The  Italian  bark  Giovanni  with  wine,  white  grapes, 
nuts  and  raisins  will  be  recalled  when  1872  has  little 
significance. 

Men  on  the  shore  stand  helpless  as  they  see  a 
ship  break  in  pieces  on  the  bar,  and  dead  men  washed 
up  with  the  flotsam  and  jetsam.  They  see  the  men  on 
the  wreck  launch  a  boat  and  they  shudder  as  it  over- 
turns in  the  breakers,  just  beyond  their  reach.  They 
see  men  drop  one  by  one  from  the  rigging.  They 
calculate  the  chances  of  a  man  swimming  on  a  plank. 
They  find  the  frozen  body  of  one  who  reached  the 
shore  in  the  darkness  and  then  wandered  about  till 
he  died.  Scenes  like  this  fix  the  years  for  the  life- 
savers. 

Wreckers 

In  the  early  days,  wrecking  companies  were  or- 
ganized to  save  ship,  cargo  and  men.  They  had  ready 
boats,  oars  and  sails,  cables  and  anchors,  ropes, 
barrels,  tackles,  crowbars  and  axes,  life-preservers, 
bandages,  medicines,  stimulants,  dry  clothes,  dry  wood 
and  matches,  everything  needed.  At  news  of  a  wreck 
they  were  early  on  the  scene,  prepared  to  help  and 
not  afraid  to  try.  The  story  is  told  of  how  a  company 
of  wreckers  floated  a  vessel  at  high  tide  and  at  dark 
in  a  howling  southeast  snowstorm.  What  then? 


94 

She  would  ground  again  on  the  ebb,  the  wind  was 
ahead  to  take  her  into  the  harbor  but  fair  for  Boston. 
Therefore,  "To  Boston  we  go.  It  will  not  take  long 
to  get  there  in  this  breeze.  Nobody  else  will  be  out 
to-night,  so  we  shall  have  a  clear  road.  She  will 
likely  keep  afloat  till  morning."  Two  men  took  the 
leaking  old  craft  to  Boston  and  she  was  beside  the 
wharf  before  daylight.  Word  was  sent  to  the  waiting 
wife  in  town,  "Don't  you  worry  about  Joshua.  He 
has  gone  to  Boston  on  the  wreck.  We  think  it  will 
moderate,  bye-and-bye."  Gone  to  Boston  on  a  wreck! 

The  Humane  Society 

More  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  Humane 
Society  built  on  the  beach  huts  for  shelter.  In  1802, 
Rev.  James  Freeman  wrote  a  pamphlet  on  the  work  of 
the  Humane  Society  and  located  the  huts.  He  de- 
scribes them  as  a  rude  charity  house  with  fireplace, 
wood  and  matches  and  a  signal  pole.  Which  things, 
public-spirited  citizens  promised  to  keep  supplied. 

The  Seamen's  Aid  Society 

The  Seamen's  Aid  Society  for  the  care  of  ship- 
wrecked sailors  was  organized  in  1882,  with  a  dollar 
a  year  membership  and  an  annual  public  meeting.  At 
one  of  these  public  meetings,  Mr.  James  Gifford  read 
a  detailed  account  of  the  wreck  on  the  Backside  of 
three  East  India  ships  from  Salem,  owned  by  the 
Crowninshields,  the  Folusia,  the  Ulysses,  the  Brutus, 
February  22,  1802.  The  Commonwealth  has  now 
made  provision  that  the  towns  shall  furnish  money 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  95 

to  shipwrecked  persons  and  be  reimbursed  by  the 
State.  Therefore  the  treasury  of  the  Seamen's  Aid 
Society,  about  two  thousand  dollars,  has  been  given 
to  the  Helping  Hand,  and  the  Seamen's  Aid  is  dis- 
banded. 

Mooncussing 

Since  the  Lloyds  now  have  representatives  in  every 
town,  the  romantic  days  of  "mooncussing"  are  done. 
How  much  was  snatched  from  the  maw  of  the  sea  and 
made  useful  will  never  be  known,  because  only  the 
audacious  and  the  funny  stories  are  told.  To  get 
ahead  of  Eben  Smith,  the  underwriters' agent,  was  a 
laudable  ambition,  and  to  outwit  another  beach- 
comber was  worth  while.  Once  upon  a  time  a  man  stood 
in  the  evening  on  the  beach  where  during  the  day  a 
vessel  had  gone  to  pieces.  A  rope  washed  up  at  his 
feet  and  he  hauled  it  in  and  threw  it  behind  him  as  he 
hauled.  When  he  came  to  the  end  of  the  rope  and 
turned  to  coil  it,  there  was  in  his  hand  a  piece  only 
ten  feet  long.  Somebody  behind  him  in  the  darkness 
had  coiled  the  rope  as  he  hauled,  and  had  cut  it  and 
disappeared. 

The  Life-saving  Service  on  Cape  Cod 

This  was  established  in  1874.  Positions  in  the 
service  are  eagerly  sought,  for  the  men  feel  that  life- 
saving  is  as  much  better  than  going  to  sea,  as  the 
life-savers  in  a  storm  are  better  off  than  the  men  on 
the  wreck.  Patrol  along  the  beach  in  a  northeast  gale 
would  be  impossible  for  most  people.  Sometimes  the 


96 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


cutting  wind  and  sand  compel  men  to  crawl  on  their 
hands  and  knees.  But  these  men  are  young  and 
strong,  they  are  dressed  for  the  weather,  they  know 
the  beach,  and  they  leave  the  station  dry  and  warm. 
A  vessel  ashore  in  a  bad  time,  however,  taxes  even 
their  vitality.  But  there  are  many  days  of  leisure 
and  of  comfort.  One  of  their  number  goes  into  town 
every  day  to  market  and  for  the  mail.  More  books 
than  they  can  read  are  sent  them.  More  visitors  than 
they  can  entertain  come  to  see  them.  They  take 
turns  at  cooking,  they  keep  hens  and  set  lobster-pots, 
they  build  boats  and  braid  rugs  and  have  a  pension 
bye-and-bye. 

This   is   true  of  the   lighthouse   keepers   also.      A 
man  is  in  luck  when  he  is  appointed  keeper  of  the  light. 


The  Wreck  of  the  Somerset 


The  Portuguese 

Our  Neighbors 

HALF  the  town  is  Portuguese.  There  is  no  race 
prejudice,  but  only  friendly  co-operation 
between  Portuguese  people  and  others.  They 
themselves  make  distinctions  according  to  the  island 
from  which  they  come.  Others  judge  them  as  they 
judge  all,  by  their  worth.  Some  of  the  brightest 
pupils  in  the  schools,  some  of  the  most  esteemed 
citizens  are  Portuguese.  This  attitude  of  democratic 
good  will  was  illustrated  in  the  tercentenary  parade, 
1920.  The  signing  of  the  Compact,  the  Mayflower, 
John  Alden,  Priscilla  and  the  spinning-wheel,  and  all 
the  Pilgrim  band  were  portrayed  by  their  descendants. 
The  artists  supplied  the  Indians,  the  pirates,  and  other 
picturesque  adjuncts.  There  was  no  more  significant 
group  than  the  Portuguese  with  their  fishing  gear  and 
the  motto — 

"Our  Saviour  fed  the  Multitude 
Two  thousand  years  ago. 
We  are  Fishermen." 

At  their  head   marched   a   man  descended   by  seven 
lines  from  Mayflower  passengers. 


98  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

The  First  Portuguese 

Most  of  the  Portuguese  came  on  the  whalers  from 
Cape  de  Verde  Islands.  The  first  Portuguese,  however, 
was  Manuel  Caton  from  Lisbon.  When  a  boy  he  ran 
away  from  home  to  sea.  The  ship  was  captured  by 
pirates  and  every  man  compelled  to  walk  the  plank. 
The  boy  was  saved  as  a  useful  slavey.  For  a  long 
time  they  cruised  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  took  many 
prizes. 

At  last  the  captain  of  the  pirate  ship  fell  sick  and 
was  near  to  death.  Then  the  crew  put  the  captain  and 
young  Caton  into  a  boat  and  set  them  ashore  on  the 
Backside,  and  said  to  Caton:  "Go  into  the  town  and 
tell  the  people  that  there  is  a  man  out  here  very  sick." 
This  he  did.  The  captain  was  carried  into  town  and 
nursed  back  to  health.  When  he  was  well  again,  he 
said  to  Manuel:  "The  next  time  the  packet  goes  to 
Boston  we  will  go  in  her.  I  know  where  to  pick  the 
ship."  But  the  young  man  said  "no,"  that  he  liked 
the  people  and  he  liked  the  town  and  he  did  not  like 
a  pirate  ship.  Though  the  captain  threatened  ven- 
geance if  he  stayed  and  if  he  told,  he  remained,  married 
and  lived  to  be  an  old  man,  always  gentle,  courteous 
and  respected. 


A  Bit  of  Geography 

Washing  Up 

GEOLOGISTS  agree  that  High  Head  in  Truro 
marks  the  original  end  of  the  Cape,  and  that 
all  the  land  north  of  that  point  is  a  series  of 
sand  beaches  built  by  the  winds  and  the  tides,  each 
farther  north  than  the  last.  At  first  they  were  narrow 
spits  of  sand  just  above  the  water.  They  increased 
year  by  year  till  they  became  wide  enough  and  high 
enough  to  support  vegetation.  This  process  of  building 
can  be  roughly  traced  even  now.  Off  Peaked  Hill, 
a  vessel  taking  a  familiar  course  may  be  caught  on  a 
bar  newly  made-off.  Long  ago  Race  Run  was  tide 
water  from  Race  Point  to  Nigger  Head,  seventy-five 
years  ago  a  bridge  spanned  the  Run,  fifty  years  ago 
the  Run  could  be  crossed  afoot  only  at  low  tide,  the 
State  Road  now  lies  where  the  tide  once  ebbed  and 
flowed.  Mill  Creek  at  the  West  End  is  filling  rapidly 
now  that  the  breakwater  shuts  it  off  from  the  harbor. 
No  longer  boys  and  girls  row  "up  crick"  on  the  flood 
and  drift  back  again  on  the  ebb  tide.  Fresh  Water 
Mill  Pond  and  Salt  Water  Mill  Pond  fed  by  the  Mill 
Creek  have  entirely  disappeared,  and  Johnny  Smith's 
Pond  near  the  west  end  of  the  sidewalk  is  gone.  Shank 
Painter  Pond  extended  a  mile  west  of  the  Meeting 


100  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

House,  and  the  Meeting  House  was  near  the  old 
cemetery.  Strout's  creek  is  constantly  mentioned  in 
old  records.  It  probably  ran  up  into  the  hills  from 
East  Harbor,  but  there  has  been  no  trace  of  it  for  a 
hundred  years.  Lobster  Plain  on  Long  Point  was 
almost  an  inland  sea.  Now  it  is  difficult  to  find  the 
Lobster  Plain. 

Washing  Out 

On  the  other  hand,  some  land  is  disappearing. 
House  Point,  an  island  at  the  west  end  of  the  harbor 
has  been  washed  away  in  our  day,  and  an  island  called 
Hog  Island  at  the  east  end  of  the  harbor  was  once 
used  for  pasturing  sheep.  There  are  coverlets  in  town 
made  of  wool  raised  by  the  young  brides  who  also 
spun  and  wove  the  cloth.  Strangers  approaching  the 
low-lying  shore  for  the  first  time  exclaim:  "How  does 
anybody  dare  to  live  there!"  People  unaccustomed 
to  a  tide,  inquire  if  it  surely  will  stop  at  the  high-water 
mark  and  go  back  again.  Statistical  friends  calculate 
how  long  it  will  be  before  the  whole  end  of  the  Cape 
will  be  washed  away.  We  still  live,  although  in  1851, 
during  the  storm  that  destroyed  Minot's  Ledge  Light, 
the  ocean  really  did  break  through  at  East  Harbor. 
That  fact  probably  hastened  the  building  by  the 
Commonwealth  of  the  dyke  at  the  East  End,  in  1869, 
and  of  the  breakwater  at  the  West  End  by  the  Federal 
Government  in  1911. 

Thus  we  live,  as  we  always  have  lived,  flung  up 
by  the  sea,  fighting  the  sea,  fed  by  the  sea. 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  101 

The  Harbor 

All  who  see  it  are  impressed  with  the  extent  of  the 
harbor  "wherein  a  thousand  ships  might  ride";  with 
the  safety  of  this  land-locked  haven,  without  a  rock,  a 
shoal  or  a  current;  with  its  ever-changing  beauty,  the 
dispair  of  the  artists. 

The  harbor  is  the  background  of  our  whole  life. 
The  first  duty  of  the  morning  is  to  learn  which  way 
the  wind  is,  from  the  best  weather-vane  in  the  world, 
a  vessel  at  anchor.  On  the  way  of  the  wind,  and  on 
the  indispensable  knowledge  of  the  time  of  high  tide, 
on  these  two  hang  all  the  work  and  play  of  the  day. 

Our  Playground 

It  is  a  playground.  Our  boys  can  not  remember 
when  they  learned  to  swim  and  to  handle  a  boat. 
They  scorn  amateur  seamanship,  especially  if  they  see 
it  in  Uncle  Sam's  sailors.  Town  and  gown.  Many  of 
these  sailors  are  western  boys  attracted  to  the  navy 
by  the  romance  of  the  sea,  who  never  saw  salt  water 
until  they  enlisted.  One  of  these  youths  in  uniform 
was  trying  to  put  a  boat  alongside  the  wharf,  while 
his  critics  stood  grinning  above  him.  One  boy  voiced 
the  thought  of  the  gang:  "Straddle  your  legs  apart, 
mister,  or  you  will  be  overboard."  This  to  a  lieuten- 
ant! Boys  stand  up  in  a  boat  and  scull  rather  than 
row,  and  they  row,  not  with  the  long  sweep  of  the 
racer,  but  with  the  short  stroke  of  the  man  who  rows 
in  all  weathers.  Somebody,  on  a  summer  morning,  home 
again,  home  again,  after  a  year,  loosed  a  man's  dory, 


102  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

found  the  oars  hidden  according  to  custom  under  the 
fish-house,  and  was  almost  out  of  sight  when  she  was 
discovered  by  the  owner,  who  said  "That  woman  is 
no  summer  visitor.  She  learned  to  row  in  this  dock. 
She  is  one  of  three  girls,  and  I  bet  I  know  which  one." 

Our  School 

Uncle  Sam's  Ships,  the  incarnation  of  power,  lie 
off  there  and  beckon  to  the  boys.  "Aboard  the 
Ranger,"  is  said  by  some  of  them  with  the  same  air 
with  which  Bostonians  say,  "At  the  University."  Thus, 
one  young  man  tells  what  the  harbor  and  the  lifelong 
use  of  boats  did  for  him.  "'Board  the  transport  was  a 
lot  of  them  Annapolis  fellers.  They  was  all  right  in 
good  weather,  but  come  a  bad  time  and  I  see  'em 
faint  away  and  fall  down  dead,  with  seasick,  lot  of 
'em.  We  had  one  old  he  of  a  storm  about  half  way 
across,  and  them  fellers  kept  her  agoing  just  as  if 
'twas  fair  weather.  Never  eased  her  up  a  bit.  They 
got  her  down  in  the  trough  of  the  sea  and  I  think  she 
roll  over  sure.  I  take  my  cap  in  my  hand  and  I  go 
to  the  Capt'n  (I  don't  know  but  he  heave  me  over- 
board) and  I  say,  'Capt'n,  I  know  how  to  steer  a 
ship.' 

'Who  are  you?'  he  say. 

'Portugee  from  Provincetown.' 

'Any  more  of  you  ?' 

'Five  fellers.' 

'Go  get  them  and  come  here.' 
When  we  get  across,  I  get  my  promote." 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK         103 
Our  Resource 

Our  harbor  is  the  road  over  which  young  men  set 
out  to  make  their  way.  In  it  is  our  livelihood.  A 
little  boy  starts  with  a  lobster-pot  or  a  bucket  of 
clams.  The  old  man  who  can  still  pull  a  dory  feels 
that  he  can  make  his  living.  If  a  young  man  thinks 
he  will  be  a  farmer,  and  goes  West  to  try  farming, 
within  a  year  he  is  a  surveyor,  a  land  agent,  an  employee 
in  the  bank.  He  wanders  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  but 
is  always  at  some  work  that  appeals  to  a  rover,  a  trader, 
a  captain. 

The  harbor  is  not  often  the  scene  of  a  tragedy; 
few  people  are  drowned,  few  vessels  are  wrecked. 

To  those  bred  on  these  shores  and  transplanted  to 
the  country,  the  fields  seem  monotonous,  and  the 
mountains  oppressive.  Forever  they  miss  the  con- 
tinual changes  of  the  tide  and  the  wide  horizon  of  the 
sky,  even  until — 

"That  which  drew  from  out  the  vasty  deep 
Turns  again  home." 

Mr.  Myrick  C.  Atwood,  deputy  collector  for  the 
port,  estimates  that  in  1890  the  number  of  vessels 
seeking  this  port  was  4,000,  and  the  value  of  their 
merchandise  was  £40,000,000. 

The  Hills 

Two  ranges  of  hills  in  parallel  lines  sweep  round 
the  circle  of  the  harbor.  The  hills  near  the  harbor 
side  are  Zion's,  Gull,  Telegraph,  Chip,  Lothrop's,  High 


104         THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Pole,  Miller's,  Mount  Gilboa  and  Mount  Ararat.  The 
significance  of  these  names  is  apparent,  except  that  of 
Chip  Hill,  which  was  hardened  with  chips  from  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Hopkins'  spar-yard.  Miller's  was  perhaps, 
long  ago,  the  hill  of  the  miller.  The  hill  was  owned,  so 
Mr.  Heman  Cook  says,  by  several  families  of  Cook, 
who,  like  the  kings  of  England  in  the  days  of  the  early 
explorations,  owned  America  because  they  had  driven 
down  stakes.  Mr.  Cook's  father  bought  the  hill  for 
two  quintals  of  pollock  and  had  the  deed  thus  recorded. 
It  was  Miller's  Hill  then,  but  nobody  knows  now  why. 
These  hills  are  covered  by  vegetation.  As  Captain 
John  Smith  said,  with  hurts  and  such  trash.  The 
trustees  of  the  Public  Reservations  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts,  1892,  say  of  them  that  a  surprisingly 
beautiful  vegetation  adorns  them  and  that  they  support 
a  charming  growth  of  tupelo,  sweet  azalia,  clethra  and 
the  like;  that  in  the  shelter  of  their  ridges  and  even 
upon  their  crests  grow  oaks,  maples,  beeches  and 
pitch  pines. 

Cranberries 

In  the  valleys  between  the  hills  are  small  cultivated 
cranberry  bogs;  sanded,  as  all  cranberry  bogs  must  be, 
here  by  the  action  of  the  wind;  watered,  as  all  cran- 
berry bogs  are,  here  by  the  high-couse  tides  pressing 
up  from  beneath.  These  little  bogs  are  not  picked,  as 
are  the  big  corporation  bogs  up  the  Cape,  by  hired  and 
often  imported  pickers.  Cranberry  picking  here  is  a 
pleasant  picnic  in  the  October  days  after  the  beach 
plums  are  gone.  Nothing  carries  more  sentiment  for 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK         105 

Cape  Cod  people  than  the  cranberry.  A  young  woman 
in  the  streets  of  New  York,  battered  and  old,  looked 
into  the  window  of  a  shop  and  saw  cranberries.  Cran- 
berries meant  to  her  Thanksgiving  Day,  father  and 
mother,  and  home  on  Cape  Cod,  and  they  wrought  in 
her  what  admonition  and  experience  could  not  do. 

Swamp  Gardens 

Between  the  hills  are  also  swamp  gardens  which 
yield  delicious  vegetables.  The  Indians  taught  the 
forefathers  to  put  a  fish  in  every  hill  of  corn;  the 
Portuguese  showed  us  that  sea-weed  makes  plants 
grow,  though  perhaps  they  did  not  explain  that  sea- 
weed supplies  the  nitrates.  Near  the  houses  in  the 
town,  little  gardens  of  flowers  and  vegetables  prosper, 
if  one  waters  his  garden  every  day.  But  water  every 
day  he  must,  for  the  sandy  soil  is  like  a  sieve  and  the 
water  runs  off  and  the  soil  is  dry  in  half  an  hour  after 
a  shower.  Every  vessel  which  comes  in  ballast  has 
a  chance  to  sell  the  ballast  to  some  one  hardening  his 
lot.  Sods  are  cut  from  the  hills  for  the  same  purpose, 
And  so,  with  fish  and  sea-weed,  a  little  soil  and  plenty 
of  water,  flowers  and  vegetables  and  small  fruits 
flourish  beyond  belief. 

Prince  Peter  Kropotkin,  in  his  Fields,  Factories  and 
Workshops,  points  out  the  end  of  Cape  Cod  as  an  illus- 
tration of  what  can  be  done  on  sandy  soil.  How  did 
he  ever  hear  of  us,  I  wonder. 

The  Moving  Hills 

The  hills  covered  with  growing  things  near  the 
town  are  probably  older  than  the  bare  hills  beyond 


106  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

them — hills  the  artists  call  dunes  and  the  natives  think 
of  as  the  second  sand  hills.  The  changes  wrought  on 
the  shore  by  the  wind  and  tide  we  view  with  accustomed 
eyes,  but  who  could  look  without  wonder  and  see  a 
hill  as  it  obeys  the  command  of  the  wind:  "Go  hence 
and  stand  in  another  place."  Here  a  single  winter's 
gales  remove  a  hill  and  pile  it  elsewhere,  and  the 
whirling  sand  covers  well-grown  trees,  and,  years  after, 
uncovers  them. 

The  Artists,  Wind  and  Sand 

The  tales  told  of  clear  glass  converted  into  ground 
glass  by  the  sand  are  true.  One  of  the  crew  at  Peaked 
Hill  wanted  a  panel  with  a  conventionalized  figure  for 
his  front  door  in  town.  He  cut  a  paper  pattern,  pasted 
it  on  the  pane  of  glass,  and  put  it  out  of  doors  during 
a  northeast  wind.  The  next  day  the  stencilling  was 
perfectly  done  by  artists  Wind  and  Sand.  Wind  and 
Sand  have  acted  also  as  curators  of  a  museum.  On 
November  3,  1778,  the  British  frigate  Somerset,  Cap- 
tain Bellamy,  chased  by  a  French  cruiser,  went  ashore 
on  Peaked  Hill  Bars.  This  was  the  same  Somerset 
told  of  in  Paul  Revere' 's  Ride,  which  covered  the  advance 
of  the  British  up  Bunker  Hill.  She  caught  on  the 
outer  bar.  WThen  they  cut  away  her  masts  and  threw 
overboard  her  guns,  she  came  over  the  bar  and  up  on 
the  beach.  Everybody  for  miles  around  rejoiced  to 
see  the  Somerset  cast  away,  and  everybody  hastened 
to  strip  her.  But  her  oak  and  her  iron  defied  even 
the  fire.  The  sand,  after  a  while,  covered  the  wreck 
and  the  place  where  she  lay  was  forgotten.  In  1886, 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  107 

after  a  succession  of  northeast  gales  and  spring  tides, 
the  old  hulk  appeared.  She  was  easily  identified  by 
her  model,  her  port-holes,  her  six-inch  oak  plank.  As 
they  did  a  hundred  years  before,  so  again  people  used 
fire  and  gunpowder  against  her.  But  each  flood  tide 
undid  the  work  done  on  the  ebb,  and  after  a  few  months 
the  sand  covered  her  once  more,  and  there  she  lies, 
under  twenty  feet  of  sand,  and  well  above  the  high- 
water  mark. 

The  Ponds 

The  whole  length  of  Cape  Cod  and  Plymouth 
County  also  is  dotted  with  ponds.  There  are  more 
than  three  hundred  in  Barnstable  County.  Beginning 
with  Shank  Painter  Pond  nearest  the  tip  end,  they 
nestle  unseen  among  the  hills  all  along  the  Cape, 
suggesting  in  their  beauty  the  Lake  District  of  Eng- 
land. They  are  sparkling,  and  bright  to  taste,  rem- 
iniscent of  the  time  when  they  too  were  a  part  of  old 
ocean,  but  they  retain  not  enough  salts  to  be  brackish. 
Pickerel  swim  and  pond  lilies  bloom  there,  though  the 
swampy  margins  render  it  difficult  to  get  either  the 
fish  or  the  flowers. 

Drinking  Water 

At  first  the  town  was  supplied  with  water  by  the 
rain  caught  in  cisterns.  Then  tubular  driven  wells 
were  used.  The  sand  is  so  light  and  the  water  is  so 
near  the  surface  that  the  wells  can  be  driven  in  any 
place  and  almost  by  hand.  The  water  comes  up  abun- 
dant, clear  and  pure.  Even  when  wells  are  sunk  just 


108         THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

above  the  high-water  mark,  where  the  tide  often  covers 
them,  the  water  is  fresh  and  good.  The  town  water 
now  piped  into  the  houses  comes  from  Truro.  The 
State's  analysis  shows  it  to  be  almost  absolutely  pure. 
Provincetown,  crowded  as  it  is,  has  no  epidemics  from 
contaminated  water,  for  the  sand  is  a  perfect  filter. 

Anchoring  the  Hills 

Just  as  some  have  feared  that  the  ocean  might 
engulf  the  town,  so  there  have  been  apprehensions 
lest  the  drifting  sand  bury  it,  and  destroy  the  harbor. 
The  Commonwealth  has,  from  time  to  time,  done 
something  to  prevent  such  a  disaster.  Since  1892,  the 
boundary  between  the  town  and  the  province  lands 
has  been  distinctly  marked  by  the  State,  and  the  work 
of  staying  the  hills  has  been  systematically  and  in- 
telligently done.  Mr.  Frank  Chase,  Resident  Com- 
missioner of  the  Province  Lands  for  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts,  from  his  valuable  experience  and 
experiments  of  twenty  years,  supplies  the  following 
facts.  Beach  grass  was  first  transplanted.  Its  tough 
roots,  yards  long  and  near  the  surface  formed  a  close 
net.  Much  of  this  grass  lived  only  four  or  five  years, 
though  beach  grass,  springing  up  from  seed,  lives 
forever.  Scotch  broom  was  suggested  and  tried.  Its 
stiff  foliage  with  spikes  of  yellow  flowers  adorns  many 
spots  along  the  roads.  Buckwheat  was  also  attempted 
but  without  perfectly  satisfactory  results.  The  next 
experiment  was  with  the  native  pine,  a  stunted  and 
slow  growth.  Soft  pines  from  other  parts  of  Massa- 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  109 

chusetts,  instead  of  growing  to  be  tall  and  stately 
trees,  simply  sprawled  out,  so  that  we  could  not  be 
proud  of  them.  The  Austrian  pines,  the  seeds  of 
which  were  sent  from  Austria,  are  now  growing  so 
well  that  the  Commonwealth  anticipates  a  revenue, 
before  many  years,  from  thinning  and  cutting  these 
Austrian  pines.  Swedish  and  Norway  pines  are  grow- 
ing vigorous  and  shapely.  Bayberries  are  easily 
transplanted  and  are  useful  in  holding  the  sand.  The 
most  effective  method,  however,  is  the  one  most  akin 
to  Nature's.  Green  boughs  cut  from  the  pines  and 
spread  on  the  ground  keep  the  sand  from  moving,  and 
catch  the  seeds  of  beach  grass  blowing  about.  In 
two  years  a  bare  hill  thus  protected  becomes  green 
and  in  five  years  the  sand  is  completely  hidden.  In 
1921,  the  Commonwealth  planted  65,000  pines,  trans- 
planted seven  acres  of  bayberries,  and  "brushed"  forty 
acres  of  sand  hills.  A  million  more  Austrian  pines, 
started  in  the  State  Nursery,  will  be  set  out  on  the 
hills.  These  methods  and  results  have  been  inspected 
and  approved  by  authorities  in  Washington.  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  gentle- 
men from  Wisconsin  have  investigated  the  work  and 
they  all  report  that  what  they  find  here  is  most  helpful 
in  their  problems  with  sand. 

An  extension  of  the  State  Road  is  projected.  The 
road  would  run  from  its  present  terminus  near  the 
Race  Point  Coast  Guard  Station,  two  or  three  miles 
along  the  old  Race  Run,  and  in  the  hollow  of  the 
hills  to  connect  with  the  Creek  Road  and  so  with  the 
Front  Street  at  the  West  End. 


110 


SAND   DUNES. 

by  John  R.  Moreland. 

What  is  your  age,  O  Dunes, 

And  what  ancient  secrets 

Are  thrust  deep  in  your  yellow  bosom? 

The  wind  knows — 

I  have  seen  him 

Whisper  to  you 

And  caress  you. 

And  in  his  great  anger 

Smite  you. 

At  noon  your  breath 
Is  hot  as  amber  blaze, 
And  your  topaz  glow 
Is  brighter  than  the  flash 
Of  a  golden  scimeter. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  111 

But  at  night 

When  the  moon 

Pours  upon  you 

A  sea  of  light 

You  are  luminous,  alluring 

And  beautiful. 

A  Cleopatra  in  gold  and  black 
Drawing  me  to  your 
Rounded  breasts. 


Provincetown  Weather 

WHEN  September  comes,  "it  begins  to  thin 
out."  Excursionists,  writers-up,  people  of 
whom  one  old  skipper  with  a  big  family  of 
non-resident  grandchildren,  said:  "Summer  boarders 
and  some're  not,"  promenaders  looking  for  natives, 
bathers  on  the  shore,  ships  and  sailors,  auto-busses 
and  motor-boats,  antiques  and  curios,  tea-rooms,  art 
students — all  thin  out  and  the  real  town  appears — a 
town  which  looks  at  residences,  cars,  the  style,  the 
crowd,  and  is  not  astonished  nor  anxious — a  town 
where  the  schools,  the  churches,  the  lodges,  the  clubs 
prosper,  because  the  town  gives  thought  to  their 
prosperity — a  town  where  the  sick,  the  poor,  the 
outcasts  are  cared  for,  because  the  town  cares — an 
intelligent  and  a  friendly  town. 

They  go  who  have  made  the  summer  delightful 
by  incidents  like  this.  One  of  the  natives,  a  D.D.,  a 
thirty-third  degree  Mason,  Grand  Chaplain  of  the 
State,  with  his  daughter,  a  teacher  of  Mathematics  in 
college,  went  quahauging.  Now  the  quahauging  trip 
is  one  hitch  harder  than  clamming.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  as  they  rested  on  the  breakwater,  in  clothes 
suitable  to  the  occasion,  with  the  bucket  of  quahaugs 
and  the  rake,  they  looked  as  if  they  had  been  washed 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  113 

up  by  the  tide.  They  had  enjoyed  the  morning  on 
the  flats,  but  the  real  joy  of  the  day  came  in  the  con- 
versation with  a  summer  visitor. 

"Have  you  been  gathering  shell-fish,  my  good 
people?" 

"Yes,  ma'am." 

"They  will  make  you  a  nice  dinner." 

"Yes,  ma'am." 

That  same  day  a  moving-picture  man  asked  them 
to  pose,  that  he  might  get  a  little  local  color.  So  now 
we  are  in  the  movies. 

The  summer  visitor  waves  a  blithe  good-bye  to 
the  proprietor  of  a  little  store,  "You  folks  are  all  right, 
but  you  need  to  get  out  and  see  the  world.  Come  to 
New  York  this  winter  and  let  me  show  you  around." 
The  proprietor  of  the  little  store  thanks  him,  but  does 
not  mention  that  New  York  has  been  his  home  port 
for  twenty-five  years,  from  which  he  sailed  to  every 
port  from  Hong  Kong  to  Liverpool. 

These  go  and  then  comes  the  most  delightful 
time  of  the  year.  The  spring  is  chilly  with  fog  and 
east  wind,  but  the  fall  often  keeps  mild  and  bright 
up  to  Christmas.  This  is  the  time  for  tramping  the 
hills,  red  in  oak,  ivy,  cranberry,  and  woodbine,  with 
a  band  of  yellow  sand  all  about  them,  and  a  rim  of 
blue  water  always  beyond. 

Thoreau  enjoyed  our  hills  in  autumn  and  says 
that  he  never  saw  an  autumnal  landscape  so  beauti- 
fully painted,  that  it  looked  like  a  rich  rug  over  an 
uneven  surface,  with  the  sand-slides  on  the  sides  of  the 
hills  like  rents  in  the  rug.  "No  damask  nor  velvet 


114  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

nor  Tyrian  dye  nor  stuffs  nor  the  work  of  any  loom 
could  ever  match  it."  Even  Thoreau's  pen  fell  short 
of  the  full  round  of  beauty.  Did  he  watch  in  a  gray 
day  the  exquisite  harmony  of  the  sky,  the  sea,  the 
sand,  like  a  Japanese  print?  Did  he  see  the  tupelo 
tree  near  the  ponds?  In  the  late  spring,  its  bright 
green  leaves  are  aglow  among  the  soberer  trees;  in  the 
autumn,  the  leaves  on  the  top  branches  are  fire-red, 
those  in  the  shadow  beneath  are  yellow,  and  the  lowest 
branches,  bare  and  gray,  are  turned  to  purple  by  the 
sun  shining  through  the  splendor  above  them;  in  a 
winter  afternoon  the  horizontal  boughs  make  straight 
bars  against  a  crimson  sky. 

Beach  Plums 

The  fall  brings  the  beach  plums.  On  the  head  of 
the  one  who  picks  huckleberries,  the  sun  beats  down 
unmercifully;  briers  and  brambles  are  synonymous 
with  blackberries;  but  beach  plums  on  the  low  bushes 
in  the  clean  sand,  the  spicy  bayberries  under  feet,  the 
salt  wind  blowing  free  across  the  hills, — beach  plums, 
purple  beauties,  a  quart  in  a  minute,  ah,  that  is  God's 
own  invitation  to  a  good  time. 

Flowers 

I  know  a  garden  on  the  south  side  of  a  house, 
sunken  a  little  as  it  slopes  toward  the  shore,  and  pro- 
tected by  a  tight  board  fence.  Flowers  bloom  in  that 
garden  every  month  in  the  year,  except  in  January. 
Marigolds,  nasturtiums  and  sweet  alyssum  are  under 
the  sheltering  leaves;  pansies  are  tucked  away  in  a 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


115 


warm  corner;  gilly  flowers  persist,  and  chrysanthe- 
mums flourish  into  December:  before  the  end  of 
February  crocuses  push  up.  In  January,  along  the 
edges  of  the  swamps,  pussywillows  are  telling  that  the 
sun  is  higher,  and  the  mayflowers  in  Myrick's  Pines 
peek  out  in  March. 

Storms 

Oh  yes,  there  is  usually  skating  for  some  days. 
Ice  six  inches  thick  is  as  much  as  the  icemen  expect 
to  cut.  More  than  that  is  eleemosynary.  Yes,  there 
is  coasting  nearly  every  winter,  and  there  are  sleighs 
in  town  that  have  been  used.  The  Wind,  chilling  to 
the  bone,  makes  our  winter.  Northeast  snowstorms 
come  screaming  in  across  the  Cape  and  drive  the 
vessels  ashore  on  the  Backside.  With  a  southerly 
wind,  ice  crowds  in  from  the  bay,  and  unless  the  wind 
changes  and  carries  the  ice  out  again,  it  crushes  the 
wharves. 


116  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

During  the  winter  of  1874—5,  with  persistent  south- 
easterly wind,  ice  from  the  bay  drifted  in,  crowded  the 
harbor,  and  piled  up  on  the  shore.  Then  came  a  rain 
and  a  hard  freeze.  For  weeks,  from  the  shore  to  Long 
Point,  there  was  good  skating.  This  sheet  of  ice  did 
no  damage,  but  broke  up  under  a  thaw  and  drifted 
out  to  sea  again. 

The  Portland  Gale 

The  snow,  the  wind  and  the  tide,  one  fearful  night 
in  1898,  wrecked  half  the  wharves  in  town.  That  was 
the  night  the  steamer  Portland  went  down.  The  next 
morning,  the  shore  was  strewn  with  wreckage.  For 
weeks,  grief-stricken  strangers  paced  up  and  down  the 
beach,  hoping  that  a  dear  dead  body  might  wash 
ashore.  They  did  not  know  how  quickly  a  body  in 
the  sea  disintegrates.  Such  storms  are  the  awful  days 
that  come  once  in  a  generation.  Every  winter,  how- 
ever, brings  howling  gales  that  soon  blow  out  as  the 
wind  whips  in  to  the  north  and  makes  the  harbor  clear 
and  bright  and  hard  as  glass.  When  the  norther 
moderates,  then  the  artists  say  that  Cape  Cod  is  like 
the  south  of  France. 

Blue  and  Gold 

In  summer  the  hills  are  a  purple  line  separating 
the  blue  water  from  the  yellow  sand,  and  the  town  is 
a  purple  shadow  under  the  hills.  For  a  day  in  winter, 
the  snow  changes  all  to  silver,  but  the  silver  soon 
tarnishes  and  again  the  town  is  a  purple  shadow  between 
the  blue  and  the  yellow.  Someone  should  write  a 
jingle— 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  117 

Provincetown  the  silver  hook 

Provincetown  the  sickle 

Provincetown  the  shining  blue  and  gold. 

Such  sights  are  not,  however,  for  the  summer 
transient  sauntering  along  by  the  boat-landing  and  the 
restaurants.  These  visitors  will  very  likely  call  it  a 
hot  and  dusty  old  place.  Like  Yankee  Doodle,  they 
are  troubled  by  the  many  houses.  He  who  looks  from 
the  hills,  from  the  monument,  from  the  heights  in 
Truro  sees  a  picture,  and  he  who  lingers,  loves  it. 

Here's  to  Your  Health 

Health  lives  on  our  dunes,  long  ago  washed  up 
from  the  sea  and  never  contaminated  by  human  habi- 
tation. Health  breathes  in  the  wind  blowing  across 
three  thousand  miles  of  salt  water.  Health  glows  in 
the  sunshine  pouring  down  on  the  hills  unimpeded. 

Years  ago  the  artists  discovered  Provincetown  the 
Picture-book,  now  invalids  are  enjoying  Provincetown 
the  Healer. 


The  Churches 

The  Old  Parish 

''''The  Lord  has  more  truth  yet  to  break  forth  of 
his  Holy  Word." 

John  Robinson,  1620. 

AFTER  the  petition  of  Truro  to  the  General 
Court,  in  1715,  that  the  Precinct  of  Cape  Cod 
be  declared  a  part  of  Truro  or  not  a  part  of 
Truro,  that  the  town  might  know  how  to  deal  with 
some  persons,  the  General  Court  served  notice  on  the 
people  here  to  show  cause  why  they  did  not  entertain 
a  learned  orthodox  minister  of  the  Gospel  to  dispense 
the  word  of  God  to  them  as  required  by  law.  Two 
years  later,  the  General  Court  granted  £150  toward 
the  expense  of  a  meeting-house  on  Cape  Cod,  "the 
money  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  Thomas 
Paine,  Ebenezer  Doane,  and  John  Snow  of  Truro, 
the  edifice  to  be  thirty-two  feet  by  twenty- 
eight  feet,  with  a  gallery  on  three  sides,  the  inhabitants 
to  sustain  the  balance  of  the  expense  and  keep  the 
premises  in  order."  This  house  was  built  on  the 
plain,  "Meeting  House  Plain"  southwest  of  the  Old 
Cemetery  on  Winthrop  street,  and  not  far  from  the 
place  where  later  they  built  the  jail.  Shank  Painter 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  119 

pond  then  extended  to  a  point  near  the  meeting-house. 
The  whole  plain  was  doubtless  once  a  part  of  the  pond. 
Fifty  years  later,  they  built  a  second  meeting-house 
on  the  same  site,  and  in  1793,  they  built  the  Old  White 
Oak  from  timber  cut  on  the  hills. 

(Acknowledgment  should  here  be  made  to  the  careful 
study  of  the  late  Judge  James  Hughes  Hopkins,  who  put 
in  order  many  confused  records  and  traditions.} 

The  Old  White  Oak 

Writing  in  1870,  he  says:  "The  Old  White  Oak  is 
still  remembered  by  the  elder  natives  of  the  town  with 
sentiments  of  veneration.  It  is  remembered,  too,  that 
the  seats  of  the  large  square  pews,  hung  upon  hinges, 
were  turned  up  during  prayer  and  turned  down  at  its 
close;  that  it  was  the  delight  of  the  boys  in  the  galleries, 
despite  the  menace  of  tything-men  armed  with  long 
poles,  to  throw  the  seats  down  with  a  bang  that  startled 
the  congregation;  an  annoyance  finally  ended  by 
enforcing  the  vote  of  the  town  to  nail  down  the  seats." 

The  first  minister  of  the  town  was  the  Reverend 
Jeremiah  Gushing.  The  birth  of  his  son,  Ezekiel 
Gushing,  April  28,  1698,  is  one  of  the  earliest  items  in 
the  town  records. 

It  was  in  November  that  they  voted  in  town 
meeting  to  build  the  new  meeting-house,  the  Old 
White  Oak,  and  to  set  it  near  the  North  Meadow  Gut, 
now  Gosnold  Street.  In  January,  they  voted  to  put 
the  meeting-house  near  the  residence  of  the  Reverend 


120  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Samuel  Parker  which  stood  where  the  Catholic  Church 
is  now  built.  They  put  the  meeting-house  just  east 
of  Mr.  Parker's  house.  They  sold  the  stock  in  the 
new  meeting-house  in  forty  shares.  A  full  share  cost 
£7,  10s.,  and  a  half  share  cost  £3,  15s.  The  pews 
were  sold  at  public  vendue  to  the  highest  bidder,  and 
the  highest  bidder  was  Elijah  Nickerson,  who  paid 
^186  for  pew  No.  20. 

In  1807  the  meeting-house  was  remodeled  and 
four  new  pews  added,  at  considerable  expense  to  the 
town.  At  that  time  the  highest  bidder  was  Solomon 
Cook,  who  paid  $342  for  pew  No.  39.  Thus  remodeled 
the  old  town  meeting-house  was  dignified  and  hand- 
some, and  an  expression  of  all  that  was  excellent  and 
permanent  in  the  life  of  that  day. 

Reverend  Samuel  Parker 

Jeremiah  Gushing,  the  first  minister  (evidently 
not  regularly  "settled")  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  and 
little  Ezekiel  are  only  names  to  us  now,  but  the  Rever- 
end Samuel  Parker  seems  a  real  person.  His  descend- 
ants are  still  living  in  the  town.  He  was  born  in 
Barnstable,  was  graduated  from  Harvard  University, 
came  to  Provincetown  when  he  was  thirty-two  years 
old  and  lived  here  till  he  was  an  old  man,  and  lies 
buried  in  the  Old  Cemetery.  The  town  gave  him  the 
frame  of  his  house  and  half  the  building  of  it.  It  was 
not  a  very  large  house,  thirty  by  twenty-seven  and 
eight  feet  in  the  walls.  Perhaps  it  was  planned  like 
this:  with  two  rooms  in  the  attic  and  a  barn  for  the 
cows: 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


121 


1.  The  Fore-room 

2.  The  Entry 

3.  The  Study 

4.  The  Chimney 

5.  The  Kitchen 

6.  The  Buttery 

7.  The  Bedroom 


w 


They  gave  him  also  his  firewood,  meadow  for  two 
cows,  and  £66,  13s.,  7d.,  lawful  money.  The  General 
Court  guaranteed  also  £45  annually  for  twelve  years. 

Mr.  Parker  had  two  hard  experiences.  The  first 
during  the  Revolutionary  War,  when  the  British  held 
the  town  and  the  inhabitants  fled;  the  minister  proba- 
bly with  the  others.  We  know  they  had  not  gone  far, 
however,  when  the  Somerset  came  ashore,  and  that 
they  returned  soon  after  the  war.  The  real  tragedy 
came  when  his  last  days  were  saddened  by  the  rise  of 
Methodism  in  the  town.  A  vote  was  passed  in  town 
meeting  placing  the  Methodist  minister  in  control  of 
Mr.  Parker's  pulpit  unless  he  was  able  to  officiate.  A 
Methodist  selectman  and  "keeper  of  the  meeting-house 
key"  refused  to  open  the  door  of  the  meeting-house 
for  a  regularly-warned  town  meeting,  and  the  town 
adjourned  to  the  store  of  Thomas  Ryder  to  transact 
its  business.  He  saw  his  people  divided  and  many 
leaving  the  old  parish  for  the  "New  Lights."  Thus 
his  pulpit,  his  people,  his  prestige  slipped  away  from 
him.  Through  it  all  he  remained  kindly  and  tolerant. 
When  he  died  he  was  greatly  lamented. 


122  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Reverend  Nathaniel  Stone 

His  successor,  Reverend  Nathaniel  Stone,  attacked 
with  vigor  the  problems  under  which  Mr.  Parker  had 
suffered.  A  new  element  and  complication  was  the 
refusal  of  people  everywhere  to  pay  the  minister's  tax, 
assessed  by  the  towns.  After  the  Revolutionary  War, 
taxation  without  representation  in  the  church,  became 
as  hateful  as  it  had  been  in  the  state. 

People  revolted  from  the  old  Calvinistic  theology, 
and  from  the  authority  of  the  ministers,  and  from  the 
taxes  for  support  of  a  parish  in  which  they  no  longer 
had  a  part.  This  led  to  a  long  conflict,  in  which  the 
best  legal  talent  of  the  country  was  engaged,  and  which 
was  largely  led  and  financed  by  the  Independent 
Christian  Society  (Universalist)  of  Gloucester. 

Mr.  Stone  was  an  able  man,  but  irascible  and 
''sot,"  and  anxious  to  fight  the  Methodists.  Expos- 
tulations from  his  people  could  not  prevent  him,  nor 
hints  to  resign  move  him.  The  sad  end  of  it  all  was 
that  in  1830  all  his  hearers  had  deserted  him,  the 
meeting-house  was  closed  and  the  historic  identity  of 
town  and  parish  was  ended  forever.  Mr.  Stone 
remained  in  town  seven  years  after  his  parish  was  gone. 
His  home  was  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  Grace 
F.  Hall  on  Lothrop's  Hill.  From  this  pleasant  height, 
he  could  see  his  old  meeting-house  closed,  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  the  new  Methodist  meeting  house,  and  to 
the  west  the  new  building  of  the  Universalists.  A 
bitter  cup  for  the  valiant  old  minister  who  remembered, 
having  done  all,  to  stand. 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  123 

When  at  last  he  went  away  from  town  and  when 
the  heat  of  the  conflict  had  cooled,  the  faithful  of  the 
old  order  were  again  gathered,  a  new  meeting-house 
was  framed  from  the  Old  White  Oak  and  set  in  a  new 
place,  and  another  parish  organized.  This  was  in  1843, 
and  the  house  they  built  is  the  present  structure  near 
Town  Hall. 

Reverend  Osborn  Myrick 

Here  they  prospered  under  the  care  of  Reverend 
Osborn  Myrick,  whose  kind  heart  and  gracious  man- 
ners endeared  him  to  the  whole  town.  Mr.  Myrick 
left  in  Truro,  where  he  first  preached,  a  living  and 
permanent  memorial  to  his  fine  nature  and  public 
spirit.  His  early  home  was  in  Vermont,  barren  Cape 
Cod  depressed  him,  he  longed  for  green  trees  growing. 
He  therefore  ran  furrows  up  and  down  the  Truro  hills 
and  scattered  therein  seeds  of  pine.  His  trees  have 
never  grown  to  be  like  the  stately  pines  of  Vermont 
and  they  never  will,  but  the  brave  stunted  branches 
under  which  the  mayflowers  bloom  bear  the  fragrant 
name  of  Myrick's  Pines. 

The  Methodists 

Methodism  from  its  beginning  has  been  strong  on 
Cape  Cod,  and  from  the  time  when  the  first  Methodist 
meeting  was  held  in  the  fore-room  of  Thomas  Ryder's 
house,  it  has  been  strong  in  Provincetown.  It  began 
in  the  days  when  the  distinction  between  Christian 
living  and  orthodox  opinion,  long  obscured,  was  being 


124  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

asserted,  and  its  rallying  cry  was  "Salvation  is  free." 
It  encountered  furious  opposition.  The  town  voted  in 
town  meeting  that  no  Methodist  meeting-house  should 
be  built.  When,  notwithstanding  this  vote,  the  Meth- 
odists sent  to  Maine  and  bought  lumber  for  a  meeting- 
house, a  mob  gathered  on  the  beach  where  the  lumber 
lay,  cut  it  into  small  pieces  and  carried  it  to  the  top  of 
High  Pole  Hill  where  they  set  fire  to  it.  They  crowned 
the  bonfire  with  an  effigy  of  Jesse  Lee,  a  Methodist 
minister.  That  was  but  a  slight  thing  to  the  ardor  of 
new  converts.  They  got  another  vessel-load  of  lumber 
from  Maine  and  built  the  meeting-house.  While  the 
building  was  in  process  of  construction,  Samuel  Atwood 
and  others  kept  guard,  but  they  were  unmolested. 
The  house  was,  after  the  fashion  of  the  early  Method- 
ists, small  and  bare  of  paint  or  plaster.  About  this 
time,  John  Kenny  and  twenty-eight  others  of  the  most 
respected  citizens  presented  a  statement  in  town 
meeting  that  they  were  attendants  at  and  supporters 
of  the  Methodist  meeting.  There  was  no  further 
opposition  to  the  Methodists.  They  soon  built  a 
church,  large  and  handsome,  with  a  spire  and  a  bell. 
Now  children  smile  at  what  was  to  the  fathers  so 
serious. 

According  to  the  early  Methodist  policy  of  chang- 
ing ministers  every  two  years,  a  long  succession  of 
names  is  recorded  and  the  men  who  bore  them  are 
forgotten.  One  name,  however,  that  of  Epaphras 
Kibby,  a  favorite  minister,  has  been  perpetuated  in 
the  Cook  family. 

The  work  of  Reverend  Edgar  F.  Clark  is  distinct- 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  125 

ive  and  important.  At  the  time  when  the  Bible  and 
science  were  supposed  by  some  to  be  contradictory, 
Mr.  Clark  gave  a  series  of  Sunday  evening  lectures  on 
Genesis,  illustrated  by  charts  on  Geology  and  other 
natural  sciences,  to  the  edification  of  the  faith  of  the 
community. 

When  Mr.  Clark  was  questioned  on  the  perennial 
issue  of  Sunday  whaling,  "If  you  had  been  out  six 
months  and  had  not  seen  a  whale,  and  then  on  Sunday 
you  sighted  one,  what  would  you  do?"  Mr.  Clark 
replied,  "I  think  I  should  call  all  hands  together  and 
ask  the  Lord  to  bless  us,  and  then  I  would  go  and  get 
the  whale." 

Obadiah  Snow 

Methodists  are  always  a  singing  people.  The 
singing  of  the  Methodists  of  Provincetown  has  long 
been  so  excellent  that  it  should  be  spoken  of.  For 
sixty  years,  Obadiah  Snow  was  a  chorister  of  remark- 
able ability.  With  a  sweet  and  true  tenor  voice, 
assisted  by  a  leader  on  each  part,  and  by  his  son  Olin 
at  the  piano,  when  he  lifted  the  baton  and  said  "Now 
Olin,"  he  made  the  vestry  rock  with  singing. 


126 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


The  Centenary  Church 

During  a  revival,  led  by  a  Mr.  Dunbar,  came  a 
split  in  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Dunbar  was  a 
mystic  and  a  man  without  the  saving  knowledge  of 
when  to  speak.  What  a  pity  that  some  one  had  not 
sent  him  a  note  asking  him  to  preach  on  Psalms  CVI, 
32-33.  Meditation  on  what  happened  to  Moses  might 
have  restrained  even  Mr.  Dunbar. 

Anyway,  ninety  persons  at  the  west  end  of  the 
town  seceded,  bought  the  building  vacated  by  the 
Universalists,  named  it  Wesley  Chapel  and  formed  a 
new  organization.  In  the  fat  years  after  the  Civil 
War,  they  built  a  very  large  and  handsome  church. 
They  were  determined  to  have,  and  they  did  have,  a 
steeple  one  foot  higher  than  that  of  the  mother  church. 
Their  ambition  was  their  undoing,  for  this  lofty  point, 
above  the  stream  of  the  fire  engines,  was  one  night 
struck  by  lightning.  It  burned  so  slowly  and  so 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  127 

fitfully  that  many  watching  it  thought  it  might  be  a 
corposant  which  plays  harmlessly  about  the  masts  of 
vessels.  There  was  no  sign  of  fire  within  the  building, 
and  none  without,  except  that  lofty  point,  when 
suddenly  the  whole  structure  burst  into  flame.  Blaz- 
ing to  the  sky,  the  beautiful  church  and  the  splendid 
organ  was  in  an  hour  a  heap  of  ashes  and  charred 
timbers.  This  disaster  happened  in  the  lean  years 
when  fishing  was  dead  and  when  young  men  were 
leaving  town  for  Boston  and  the  West.  Many  friends 
of  Centenary,  together  with  the  presiding  elder  and  the 
bishop  felt  that  to  rebuild  was  folly.  However,  there 
was  the  land,  the  insurance,  and  the  parsonage.  Those 
who  had  given  the  money  represented  by  these  re- 
sources had  given  it  for  Centenary  Church,  and  some 
felt  that  no  disposition,  except  for  Centenary's  use  was 
permissible.  With  many  problems  to  solve  and  with 
some  opposition,  Miss  Phoebe  E.  Freeman  held  to- 
gether the  Sunday  School,  and.  with  Mrs.  Lizzie 
Foster  and  other  friends,  canvassed  the  community 
for  gifts.  Thus  was  built  by  the  devotion  of  a  few, 
when  it  would  have  been  easy  to  sit  still,  the  convenient 
and  beautiful  chapel  which  stands  to  bless  the  whole 
west  end  of  the  town. 

Reverend  George  H.  Bates 

Reverend  George  H.  Bates,  a  relative  of  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  did  a  good  piece  of 
constructive  work  while  he  was  pastor  of  Centenary 
Church.  Mr.  Bates  was  a  quiet  gentleman  who 
patiently  taught  the  excitable  members  of  his  flock 


128  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

that  hysteria  and  religion  are  not  necessarily  connected, 
and  sometimes  are  far  apart.  Since  his  day,  and  partly 
because  of  his  influence,  there  have  been  no  more 
"high  meetings."  Methodism  has  no  place  for  a 
parish,  but  Provincetown  Methodist  Churches  retain 
the  old  parish  organization  in  addition  to  that  outlined 
by  the  discipline.  Young  ministers  to  whom  a 
parish  seems  incongruous  or  unnecessary  have  tried 
in  vain  to  ignore  it — even  to  combat  it.  The 
minister  is  not  supposed  to  attend  the  parish  meeting. 
When  one  earnest  and  persistent  brother  appeared  at 
the  annual  parish  meeting,  though  the  ways  of  parishes 
had  been  explained  to  him,  Mr.  Benjamin  Dyer  arose 
and  spoke.  "Mr.  Moderator,  I  move  that  this  meet- 
ing be  adjourned  to  such  time  as  it  can  be  held  without 
the  presence  of  the  minister."  The  vote  was  unani- 
mous in  favor  of  the  motion,  the  minister  departed, 
and  the  parish  held  its  annual  meeting  according  to 
custom. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  129 


v, 

THE  UNIVERSALISTS. 
Church    of   the    Redeemer,    Universalist 

Following  the  picturesque  custom  of  the  Pilgrims 
whose  children  bore  such  names  as  Oceanus  Hopkins, 
Peregrine  White,  Wrestling  Brewster,  and  Hate-evil 
Hall,  the  Universalist  church  might  well  be  called 


130  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Seaborn.  Not  only  the  local  church  but  also  the 
message  of  John  Murray,  the  first  great  apostle  of 
Universalism  in  America,  was  seaborn.  John  Murray 
was  a  friend  of  John  Wesley  in  England  and  an  itiner- 
ant preacher  with  him.  Wesley  denied  the  Calvinists 
who  affirm  that  the  elect  alone  are  saved.  Wesley 
preached  always  one  sermon.  With  many  texts  and 
with  varying  phrase,  his  message  was,  "Christ  died  for 
all  and  salvation  is  free."  John  Murray  outran  his 
friend.  Starting  with  Wesley's  premise,  "Christ  died 
for  all",  Murray  preached,  "If  Christ  died  for  all, 
then  are  all  men  saved."  John  Wesley  managed  to 
hold  his  place  in  the  established  church,  though  with 
many  discomforts,  but  John  Murray  was  utterly  cast 
out.  Bereaved  of  his  wife  and  child,  imprisoned,  in 
debt,  he  set  sail  for  America  to  hide  himself  in  the 
wilderness  and  never  preach  again.  When  the  vessel 
was  fog-bound  off  Barnegat,  John  Murray  went  ashore 
at  Good  Luck,  N.  J.  for  fish  and  milk.  There  he  met 
a  man  who  said  to  him,  "You  are  the  preacher  for 
whom  I  built  my  meeting-house."  When  John  Murray 
said  that  he  was  supercargo  of  the  brig  H and-in-H and 
and  not  a  preacher,  Thomas  Potter  replied,  "You  can 
not  say  that  you  have  never  preached,  and  preached 
the  doctrine,  'If  Christ  died  for  all,  then  are  all  men 
saved.'3  Pressed  till  he  was  ashamed,  John  Murray 
promised  that  he  would  preach  in  Potter's  meeting- 
house, if  the  fog  did  not  lift  before  Sunday.  "The 
fog  will  never  lift,"  said  Thomas  Potter,  "till  you  have 
preached  in  my  meeting-house."  It  did  not  lift,  and 
John  Murray  preached  on  Sunday.  Potter,  who  could 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  131 

neither  read  nor  write,  had  thought  his  way  out  of  the 
darkness  of  the  old  theology  into  the  light  of,  "God  is 
love  and  all  men  are  His  children."  Persuaded  of  his 
truth,  he  had  built  a  meeting-house  and  was  waiting 
for  a  minister  to  proclaim  it.  He  said  that  when  he 
saw  the  brig  in  the  offing,  and  when  he  met  John 
Murray  on  the  shore,  he  was  sure  that  his  preacher  had 
come.  A  romantic  career  followed  this  beginning  at 
Good  Luck,  and  at  length,  John  Murray,  his  adven- 
tures, and  his  doctrines,  were  published  in  a  book. 
Cast  into  the  water  by  an  unknown  hand,  the  book 
floated  in  the  tide  to  Long  Point,  even  to  the  feet  of 
Sylvia  and  Elizabeth  Freeman,  daughters  of  Prince 
Freeman.  The  name  Prince  Freeman  is  found  often 
on  the  Cape.  It  is  a  heritage  from  Mercy  Prince, 
daughter  of  Governor  Prince  and  descendant  of  Elder 
Brewster.  Freemans,  wherever  found,  love  to  read. 
Little  enough  Sylvia  and  Elizabeth  had  to  read,  when 
the  mail  was  brought  once  a  week  by  a  man  on  horse- 
back. But  they  had  a  schoolhouse  and  a  good  school 
and  they  loved  to  read.  It  was  the  daily  task  of 
Sylvia  and  Elizabeth  to  gather  driftwood.  You  would 
never  believe  how  many  things  and  what  strange 
things  drift  in  from  sea  and  wash  up  with  the  tide.  We 
who  live  on  the  shore  are  always  watching  for  what 
may  come  in  on  the  flood.  Sylvia  and  Elizabeth  saw 
in  the  water,  just  beyond  their  reach,  a  book.  Eliza- 
beth waded  off  and  with  a  barrel  hoop  hooked  the  book 
ashore.  It  was  the  life  of  John  Murray,  leather-bound 
and  water-soaked,  but  legible.  The  girls  did  not  tell 
of  their  prize,  but  they  dried  the  book,  read  it,  believed 


132  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

its  teachings  and  became  the  first  Universalists  in  the 
community.  The  secret  could  not  long  be  kept.  They 
showed  the  book  to  their  father  and  mother,  to  cousins 
and  neighbors  on  the  Point  and  to  friends  on  T'other 
Side.  Out  of  the  discussion  and  agitation  which 
followed,  grew  the  Christian  Union  Society.  The 
record  book  of  this  society,  evidently  not  the  earliest 
book,  begins  with  the  entry  of  a  meeting  in  1829  at 
Enos  Nickerson's  schoolhouse  when  they  voted  to 
build  a  meeting-house.  This  they  did,  setting  the 
building  on  the  eastern  corner  of  Central  and  Commer- 
cial Streets.  In  process  of  time  this  building  was  sold 
to  the  up-along  Methodists  who  refurnished  it  and 
named  it  Wesley  Chapel.  Then  the  Universalists 
built  their. present  church.  They  spared  no  expense  in 
their  endeavor  for  the  finest  meeting-house  south  of 
Boston,  and  they  succeeded  in  building  a  handsome 
colonial  church,  with  a  spire  famous  for  its  beauty. 

Again  across  the  sea  came  the  man  who  decorated 
the  interior.  He  was  the  father  of  the  Reverend 
Charles  W.  Wendte,  D.D.,  a  German  who  had  studied 
art  in  Italy.  He  came  to  America  to  introduce  the 
frescoing  of  buildings,  when  most  New  England 
meeting-houses  were  bare.  Unfaded  in  the  passing 
years,  the  walls  of  this  church  repeat  the  designs  the 
young  man  studied  in  Siena,  Italy;  and  the  ceiling 
reflects  that  of  the  Temple  of  Neptune  in  the  Acropolis. 
The  organ  was  bought  by  the  subscriptions  of  the 
young  men  of  the  town,  a  long  and  valiant  list.  Sabin 
Smith  was  chorister  and  played  the  bass  viol,  Elijah 
Smith  played  the  violin  and  William  W.  Smith  played 
the  cello.  Isaiah  Gilford  and  Captain  Russell  Elliot 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  133 

played  clarinets.  These,  with  the  organ  and  the  choir 
of  men-singers  and  women-singers  made  music  to  vie 
with  the  Methodists. 

The  daughters  of  Sylvia  Freeman  came  every 
Sunday  from  the  Point  in  the  five-handed  boat  for  the 
meeting  in  the  new  meeting-house.  When  the  minister 
gave  out  the  hymn,  and  the  people  in  the  pews  turned 
round  and  faced  the  choir,  and  saw  thirty-six 
young  ladies,  each  with  a  beautiful  bonnet  tied  under 
her  chin  by  a  broad  and  fluttering  ribbon,  and  when  the 
little  girls  heard  that  music,  delight  for  them  could 
go  no  farther.  On  Sunday  afternoon,  the  two  little 
girls  played  meeting.  There  were  two  essentials  for 
the  play.  One  was  the  broad  ribbon  bonnet  strings, 
and  the  other  was  a  mysterious  word  which  the  angelic 
singers  seemed  to  utter.  "Ssspersse,  oh  sssperssse," 
they  seemed  to  sing.  And  now  in  Sylvia's  family  if 
anyone  behaves  in  a  very  elegant  and  genteel  manner, 
we  say  of  her,  "She  is  ssspersssing." 

The  minister  who  did  distinctive  work  for  this 
church  was  Reverend  John  Bovie  Dods,  one  of  the 
earliest.  He  was  an  eloquent  preacher  and  a  scholar. 
He  was  a  teacher  and  proprietor  of  an  academy.  He 
was  also  what  would  be  called  now  a  mental  healer 
and  he  conducted  a  successful  clinic.  He  was  the 
minister  who  declined  an  increase  in  salary — an  increase 
that  would  have  brought  his  pay  up  to  six  hundred 
dollars — saying  that  he  had  no  use  for  so  much  money 
although  at  that  time  he  had  a  wife  and  five  children. 

The  story  of  the  Catholic  Church  runs  with  that 
of  the  Portuguese  people.  The  movement  by  the 
Episcopalians  is  supported  largely  by  summer  residents. 


Benevolences 

The  Well-wishing  for  the  Town 

THE  largest  fund  is  that  of  the  Helping  Hand, 
a  gift  of  350,000  for  the  worthy  poor  by  Mr. 
Edwin  A.  Grozier.     The  income  is  administered 
by   six   trustees.     One   of  the   conditions   is   that  the 
names  of  the  beneficiaries  shall  not  be  made  public. 

Rev.  William  Henry  Ryder,  D.D.,  gave  a  fund  of 
^5,000,  the  income  to  be  used  for  the  poor  of  the  town 
without  regard  to  nationality  or  sect.  This  charity 
also  is  enjoined  to  make  no  public  report.  It  is  en- 
trusted to  three  members  of  the  Universalist  Parish. 

Dr.  Ryder  gave  the  site  of  the  Town  Hall.  It 
was  the  old  Godfrey  Ryder  homestead.  Mr.  Joseph 
P.  Johnson  gave  the  clock,  and  Mr.  John  F.  Nickerson 
gave  the  bell. 

The  Public  Library,  both  land  and  building,  was 
presented  to  the  town  by  Mr.  Nathan  Freeman.  31,000 
for  books  was  subscribed  by  friends  of  the  town  to 
meet  the  provisional  vote  of  the  town  of  32,000,  for 
books,  when  the  library  was  first  opened.  The  Sons 
of  Temperance  had  before  that  time  put  at  interest 
3300  toward  books  for  a  library.  Mr.  Augustus 
Mitchell  selected  and  catalogued  the  first  purchase  of 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  135 

books.  Mr.  Benjamin  Small  made  a  gift  of  $5,000  to 
the  library,  the  income  for  books. 

There  is  the  Cemetery  Fund,  for  the  care  of  indi- 
vidual lots,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  gifts,  amount- 
ing to  about  $35,000. 

$25,000  were  collected  by  the  Boston  Post  for  those 
made  widows  and  orphans  by  the  loss  of  three  fishing 
schooners  in  1917. 

The  Seamen's  Aid  Society  Fund  of  $2,000,  for 
shipwrecked  sailors,  is  now  absorbed  in  the  Helping 
Hand. 

We  have  benefitted  by  the  Shaw  Fund  for  Marin- 
ers' Children,  a  gift  from  Robert  Gould  Shaw  for 
Massachusetts,  in  which  needy  children  of  Province- 
town  have  had  a  share. 

The  Centenary  Church  has  had  a  gift  of  $1,000 
from  Rev.  Samuel  McBurney,  a  former  pastor,  of  $500 
from  Miss  Rebecca  L.  Nickerson,  and  of  $500  from 
Mrs.  Nancy  Hanley. 

The  Congregationalist  Church,  the  Church  of  the 
Pilgrims,  has  been  given  legacies  of  $1,000  by  Mr. 
Stephen  T.  Nickerson,  of  $1,000  by  Miss  Eunice  and 
Miss  Miranda  Nickerson,  of  $1,200  by  Mr.  Lauren 
Young,  of  $1,000  by  Miss  Delia  Mills,  of  $500  by  Mrs. 
Esther  W.  Hutchins,  of  $500  by  Mrs.  Susan  A.  Mann, 
of$300by  Mrs.  Joanna  C.  Myrick.  Mrs.  Mann  and  Mrs. 
Hutchins  were  daughters  of  Dr.  Jeremiah  Stone,  for 
many  years  the  physician  of  the  town.  Roughest 
with  shams,  tenderest  with  suffering,  he  knew  us  all. 

The  Universalist  Church  has  been  remembered  in 
wills  by  a  legacy  of  $100  for  the  Sunday  School  from 


136          THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Noyes,  of  3300  for  care  of  the  church 
building  from  Mr.  Atkins  Nickerson,  of  31,000  from 
Mrs.  Ann  Simmons  Freeman,  of  3100  from  Mr.  Walter 
I.  Nickerson,  of  3300  from  Mr.  Jabez  Atwood.  A 
memorial  fund  has  been  recently  established,  with  a 
tablet  in  the  church  bearing  the  names  of  those  in 
whose  memory  the  money  is  given.  Gifts  of  350  are 
received.  Half  the  income  of  the  fund  is  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  trustees  of  the  parish,  and  half  is  annually 
added  to  the  principal. 


The  Schools 


"  The  Providence  of  God  hath  made  Cape  Cod  convenient  to  us  for 
fishing  with  seines — All  such  profit  as  may  and  shall  accrue  annually 
to  the  Colony  from  fishing  with  nets  or  seines,  for  mackerel,  bass  or 
herring,  to  be  improved  for  and  toward  a  free  school,  in  some  town  of 
this  jurisdiction  for  the  training  up  of  youth  in  literature,  for  the  good 
and  benefit  of  posterity — They  shall  be  duly  taught  to  read  the  Scriptures, 
a  knowledge  of  the  Capital  Laws,  and  the  main  principles  of  Religion 
necessary  to  Salvation." 

From  the  records  of  the  General  Court,  1671. 

THUS,  fifty  years  after  our  harbor  floated  the 
Compact  of  Government,  our  fish  furnished 
money  for  the  beginnings  of  the  free  public 
school  system  of  America.  This  free  school  was  not 
then  established  on  Cape  Cod,  but  in  some  town 
nearer  Plymouth,  probably  in  several  towns.  No 
sooner  were  we  a  real  town,  however,  than  the  town 
record  sets  forth,  "An  account  with  Mr.  Samuel 
Winter  for  keeping  school  one  half  year,  £22,  10." 
And  then,  thus  early,  the  fathers  established  the 
precedent  of  being  generous  with  the  schools,  for  the 


138  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

next  half  year  Mr.  Winter's  salary  was  £22,  15.  Where 
did  Mr.  Winter  keep  the  school?  In  the  meeting- 
house, perhaps,  for  school  in  the  meeting-house  was 
not  uncommon  in  those  days,  and  often  since,  in  case 
of  need,  we  have  used  the  meeting-house  for  a  school. 
These  early  schoolmasters  often  boarded  around,  and 
the  school  followed  them.  Perhaps  the  school  was 
kept  part  of  the  year  in  one  section,  and  part  in  another, 
'a  moving  school.' 

Schoolhouses 

A  separate  and  fixed  abode  was  not  long  delayed, 
for  in  1795,  the  Masons'  House  was  built  for  King 
Hiram's  Lodge,  the  upper  story  a  handsome  hall,  and 
the  lower  story  divided  into  two  schoolrooms.  This 
building,  now  a  dwelling,  stands  at  119  Bradford  Street. 
It  seems  evident  that  in  those  years  there  were  three 
little  schoolhouses  in  the  town.  In  1828,  the  town 
did  itself  proud  by  creating  six  school  districts,  and 
erecting  six  district  schoolhouses.  Each  district  elected 
its  own  supervisor.  One  of  these  district  schools  was 
near  West  Vine  Street,  the  Enos  Nickerson  schoolhouse 
was  near  Atlantic  Avenue;  one  is  still  standing  not 
far  from  the  present  Eastern  schoolhouse.  These 
ungraded  district  schools  served  until  1844,  when  the 
town  built  the  Western,  the  Center,  the  Eastern  school- 
houses,  each  for  three  grades,  the  Primary,  the  Inter- 
mediate, the  Grammar.  Five  years  after,  the  High 
School  was  established.  These  schools  were  furnished 
with  blackboards,  maps,  globes,  and  all  the  latest 
appliances  for  education  in  that  day,  and  were  con- 
sidered models. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  139 

The  Books 

What  did  they  study  in  those  early  years? 
The  Catechism  and  the  Ten  Commandments. 
The  New  England  Primer,  from 
"In  Adam's  fall 
We  sinned  all." 
down  to 

"Zacheus  he 
Did  climb  a  tree 
His  Lord  to  see." 

The  American  First  Class  Book,  with    selections 
from  the  classics. 

The  Young  Reader,  with — 

"Devotion  is  a  tender  plant,"  and, 
"The  storm  is  o'er,  how  dense  and  bright 
Yon  pearly  clouds  embowered  lie, 
Cloud  upon  cloud,  a  goodly  sight, 
Contrasted  with  the  dark  blue  sky." 

At  a  reception  given  Mrs.  Ruth  Holsbury  of 
Truro,  on  her  one  hundredth  birthday,  in  1915,  Mrs. 
Holsbury  was  able  to  repeat  the  entire  Gospel  of 
Matthew,  learned  in  school  when  she  was  a  little  girl. 
What  a  background  for  the  vicissitudes  of  ninety  years! 

Winter  Boys'  School 

It  was  found  that  graded  schools  shut  out  sixty 
or  seventy  young  men,  home  from  sea  in  the  winter, 
who  wanted  more  education,  but  who  refused  to  "sit 


140  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

on  the  bench  with  the  little  boys,  with  legs  sticking 
out  across  the  aisle,  and  study  Grammar.  Rather  go 
whaling."  Out  of  the  need  thus  expressed  grew  the 
Winter  Boys'  School,  often  taught  by  a  Dartmouth 
College  student.  If  he  made  a  success  of  his  school, 
he  must  be  a  young  giant,  not  afraid  to  use  his  fists, 
and  able  to  teach  Navigation. 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Dill  of  Wellfleet  was  Winter  Boys' 
teacher,  for  many  terms. 

The  High  School 

When  the  state  law  requiring  towns  to  support 
a  High  School  was  passed,  Provincetown  promptly 
voted  to  establish  a  High  School  according  to  law,  in 
town  meeting  March  22,  1849,  and  as  promptly  opened 
the  school  April  26,  in  the  vestry  of  the  old  Methodist 
church  under  the  Hill,  for  which  they  paid  seventy-five 
cents  a  week  rent,  with  Freeman  Nickerson  principal 
at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars,  and  Miss  C.  A. 
Rogers,  assistant.  The  records  do  not  tell  what 
salary  Miss  Rogers  received.  The  school  committee 
at  that  time  were  Godfrey  Ryder,  Esq.,  Dr.  S.  A. 
Paine  and  Rev.  Osborn  Myrick.  With  the  building 
of  the  Town  Hall  and  the  High  School  on  the  Hill,  in 
1854,  we  had  a  High  School  indeed. 

Private  Schools 

While  the  town  was  thus  developing  its  public 
school  system,  private  schools  were  not  lacking. 
There  were  singing-schools,  one  kept  by  Mr.  B.  0.  Gross 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  141 

(named  for  the  minister,  Bartholomew  Otheman) 
one  kept  by  Mr.  Caleb  Cook  (one  of  the  many  singers 
in  the  Cook  family).  There  were  dancing-schools 
(Mr.  Caleb  Dyer  Smith  was  one  of  the  dancing-masters) 
and  writing-schools  (Mrs.  Anna  J.  Hutchinson  taught 
the  latest  one),  and  without  fail  every  winter,  classes 
in  Navigation,  where  Gershom  Cutter  was  the  teacher. 
Gershom  was  once  a  juryman,  when  the  judge  remarked : 
.  "A  sharp  name  you  have,  Mr.  Cutter." 

"Yes,"  said  Cutter,  "and  my  other  name  is 
Gashem,"  following  the  local  pronunciation,  a  use  of 
vowels  like  that  of  the  people  of  Devonshire,  whence 
most  of  us  came. 

Another  illustration  is  a  man  who  could  not  speak 
for  stuttering,  but  who  could  sing,  and  who  did  sing 
to  the  captain: 

"Overboard  is  Barnabus 
Half  a  mile  astarn  of  us." 

Both  the  Methodists  and  the  Universalists  main- 
tained schools  for  young  ladies  and  young  gentlemen; 
the  doctor  and  the  minister  were  always  tutoring 
ambitious  boys  looking  toward  the  professions;  and 
there  were  private  schools  for  children.  For  years 
Aunt  Sally  Conant  kept  a  school  in  her  house.  She 
was  a  sister  to  Gamaliel  Collins,  a  minister,  and  of  a 
cultured  family.  We  now  acquire,  at  large  expense, 
under  the  name  of  kindergarten,  the  methods  used  by 
this  lady  who  was  apt  to  teach.  Elderly  people 
remember  with  pleasure  the  crib  where  the  little  tots 
were  put  to  sleep,  the  hand-work,  the  cookies  passed 
around  by  the  good  child,  the  games  at  the  open  door. 


142  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

The  Seminary 

In  the  days  when  academies  and  seminaries 
flourished  everywhere,  Provincetown's  seminary  was 
not  behind  the  best.  If  any  desires  to  read  a  list  of 
pure  English  names,  let  him  read  the  roster  of  Zoeth 
Smith's  Seminary  in  1845-6,  on  p.  224 

From  the  First  Annual  Catalogue. 
Tuition  per  Quarter. 

For  Common  English  Branches... 33.00 

For   Algebra,    Geometry    and    Naviga- 
tion, each 1.00 

For  Mental  and  Moral  Sciences 75 

For  Astronomy,  Chemistry,  and  Natur- 
al   Philosophy 1.00 

For  Latin  and  Greek 1.25 

For  French  and  Italian 1.50 

For    Bookkeeping,    single    and    double 

entry 1.00 

For  Physiology 67 

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Board — 

The    price    of    board    varies    from 
32.00  to  32.50  per  week,  including 
fuel,    lights,    room    and    washing. 
Board  may  be  obtained  for  31-00 
per  week,  exclusive  of  fuel,  etc. 
Address  "Seminary"  post  paid. 
This  Seminary  was  in  the  old  Masons'  House. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  143 

Teachers 

Buildings  and  curriculum  do  not  make  a  school, 
but  "President  Mark  Hopkins  on  one  end  of  log,  and 
a  boy  on  the  other."  Many  excellent  teachers  have 
served  the  schools,  and  many  boys  and  girls  on  the 
other  end  of  the  log  have  responded  to  their  inspiration. 
In  1825,  Mr.  Joshua  Atwood  of  Boston  was  the  teacher. 
It  was  his  son  Samuel  who  was  town  clerk  for  many 
years,  and  who  always  signed  his  records,  "per  me 
Sam'l  Atwood."  Samuel's  grandson,  Nathaniel,  in 
his  turn,  kept  the  school  on  the  Point.  It  was  he  who 
gave  distinguished  service  to  Prof.  Agassiz,  and  who 
delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on  fish,  at  the  Lowell 
Institute,  Boston. 

There  are  now  about  a  thousand  children  in  the 
public  schools,  and  the  town  gladly  pays  near  forty 
thousand  dollars  a  year  to  support  them. 

Educators  might  fare  far  and  fare  worse  for  the 
essentials  of  an  education  than  the  requirements  of 
our  old  schools, — the  Bible,  Navigation,  and  Music. 


The  Art  Colony 

How  did  the  largest  art  colony  in  the  United  States 
grow  up  in  Provincetown  ?  Mr.  Marcus  Waterman  came 
long  ago  to  make  studies  of  the  sand  for  a  picture 
of  Sahara  Desert.  We  could  supply  the  sand,  but  the 
lion  of  Sahara's  wastes,  he  found  elsewhere.  A  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Waterman  hangs  in  the  Beachcombers' 
Club-room.  Mr.  Halsall,  a  sailor  in  his  youth,  came 
for  the  marine  views.  Mr.  Brown's  father  was  a 
Provincetown  man.  Mr.  Webster  married  a  Prov- 
incetown girl.  Mr.  Hawthorn  had  the  first  art  school. 
These  confirmed  the  word  of  occasional  painters  who 
told  us  that  the  light  here  is  wonderful,  and  the  sunsets 
rival  Italy. 

Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  of  enthu- 
siasm kindleth!  In  1914  Mrs.  John  Herring  gave  an 
address  before  the  Nautilus  Club,  and  suggested  the 
organization  of  an  Art  Circle.  This  little  group  of 
young  women  made  a  beginning,  and  now,  I  suppose, 
it  would  be  hard  to  find  a  handsomer,  better-lighted, 
and  more  appropriate  little  art  museum  than  ours. 
The  by-laws  of  the  Art  Association  tell  us  that  its 
object  is  to  promote  and  cultivate  the  fine  arts — to 
establish  and  maintain  a  permanent  collection — to 
hold  exhibitions — to  promote  the  advancement  of  art 


146  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

by  social  intercourse  between  artists  and  others  inter- 
ested in  art.  Lectures  on  art  are  already  ours,  and  a 
library  on  art  is  not  far  ahead.  This  prosperous 
colony  of  artists  has  grown  up  among  us  because,  as 
they  themselves  say,  everywhere  they  look  they  see 
a  picture,  and  because  the  town's  people  are  hospitable 
to  them.  The  artists  are  hospitable  to  each  other. 
The  conservatives,  the  ultra-modern,  the  abstraction- 
ists, every  school  is  welcome,  and  examples  of  their 
work  are  on  exhibition.  In  this  democratic  atmosphere, 
and  in  a  town  now  cosmopolitan,  but  with  roots  deep 
in  a  Puritan  past,  here  where  the  sea  and  the  land  meet, 
is  being  wrought,  perhaps,  a  truly  American  art. 

Literary   people,    some   of  them    writers    of    first 
rank,  have  also  come  to  bide  with  us. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  147 

THE  PEACE  OF  OLD   CAPE   COD. 

Anonymous 

Nobody  ever  tried  to  put  it  into  words, 
The  birds,  the  trees,  the  ponds, 
The  sudden  stretches  of  the  sea, 
The  fields  wind-swept  and  free, 
The  hills  where  quiet  feet  have  trod, 
The  Heavenly  Peace  of  Old  Cape  Cod. 

Nobody  ever  tried  to  make  a  poem  of  it, 
Or  painted  pictures  doing  justice  to  it, 
And  yet  the  lives  that  harassed,  torn 
And  bleeding,  becoming  less  forlorn, 
Grew  healed  where  lies  the  living  sod, 
The  matchless  Peace  of  Old  Cape  Cod. 

Heartsick  of  city's  clamorous  strife, 
And  yearning  for  a  wiser  life, 
Found  here  their  hopes  fulfilled. 
The  goldenrod  and  aster  grew, 
Above  the  sorrows  once  they  knew, 
Made  o'er  again  they  learned  of  God 
And  walked  with  Him  on  old  Cape  Cod. 


The  Monument  and  the  Hill 

THE  hill  on  which  the  monument  stands  is  the 
center  of  three  heights,  at  whose  foot  the  town 
lies.  This  one  is  High  Pole  Hill.  A  mill  is  said 
to  have  stood  on  the  hill  in  early  days.  A  description 
of  the  town  in  1802,  speaks  of  two  mills  in  the  town, 
"One  of  which  goes  with  fliers  on  the  inside  and  appears 
like  a  large  and  lofty  tower.  As  it  stands  on  a  high 
hill,  it  can  be  seen  at  great  distance,  and  to  seamen 
entering  the  harbor  it  is  a  conspicuous  object."  This 
mill  was  probably  where  the  monument  is  now.  Though 
the  mill  was  demolished  and  forgotten,  the  desire  for 
a  tower  remained.  In  1854,  a  Town  House  with  a 
high  tower  was  erected  on  the  hill. 

The  land  for  the  Town  House  was  bought  from 
Godfrey  Ryder,  Jonathan  Cook,  Asa  Bowley,  Phillip 
Cook,  Seth  Nickerson,  2nd,  Joseph  Atkins  and  Samuel 
Chapman,  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  hill 
was  lowered  some  feet,  and  a  building  to  be  proud  of 
arose. 

Three  things  the  town  demanded  in  the  new 
Town  House,  a  hall  for  town  meetings,  rooms  for  a 
High  School,  and  a  tower  that  could  be  seen  half  way 
to  Boston  Light.  Because  the  top  of  the  hill  is  wind- 
swept and  bleak,  the  town  offices  remained  in  their 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  149 

old  quarters  on  the  front  street;  and  because  Ocean 
Hall,  now  the  New  Central  House,  was  convenient  for 
parties  and  dances  it  continued  to  be  the  social  center; 
therefore,  the  Town  House  was  used  only  for  town 
meeting  once  or  twice  a  year,  and  for  the  High  School. 
Winter  gales  straight  from  the  Arctic  sometimes  swept 
the  girls  off  their  feet,  but  these  things  were  naught 
compared  with  the  tower.  When  the  building  burned 
in  1877,  the  greatest  lament  was  for  the  beacon  which 
could  be  seen  "clear  out  in  the  Bay." 

With  the  building  went  the  marble  tablet    over 

the  entrance,  placed  there  by  the  Cape  Cod  Association. 

"We  can  get  another  of  them  things,"  they  said. 

"But   oh,    the    tower!"     The   inscription   on    the 

tablet  read: 

IN  COMMEMORATION  OF  THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE 
MAYFLOWER  IN  CAPE  COD  HARBOR  AND  OF 
THE  FIRST  LANDING  OF  THE  PILGRIMS  IN 
AMERICA  AT  THIS  PLACE,  Nov.  11,  1620  O.  S. 
THIS  TABLET  is  PRESENTED  BY  THE  CAPE  COD 
ASSOCIATION,  Nov.  8,  1853. 

An  inscription  on  a  tablet  near  the  present  Town 
Hall,  in  place  of  the  one  burned,  is  as  follows: 

THIS  MEMORIAL  STONE  is  ERECTED  BY  THE 
COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  TO  COM- 
MEMORATE THE  COMPACT  OF  CONSTITUTION 
OF  GOVERNMENT,  SIGNED  BY  THE  PILGRIMS 
ON  BOARD  THE  MAYFLOWER,  Nov.  20th  OLD 
STYLE. 

On  the  reverse  is  the  text  of  the  compact    with 
the  names  of  the  signers. 


150  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

The  following  facts  about  the  Monument  are 
from  the  official  statement  issued  by  the  Memorial 
Association: 

"The  Monument  was  erected  by  the  Cape  Cod 
Pilgrim  Memorial  Association,  members  of  which  are 
to  be  found  in  every  state  in  the  Union  and  in  all  our 
insular  possessions. 

The  cost  of  the  Monument  was  about  ninety-five 
thousand  dollars,  exclusive  of  the  site,  which  was 
given  by  the  town  of  Provincetown.  Of  this  sum 
forty  thousand  dollars  was  contributed  by  Congress, 
from  the  National  treasury;  twenty-five  thousand  by 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts;  five  thousand 
by  the  town  of  Provincetown,  and  the  remainder  by 
individuals  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  in  sums  varying 
from  one  dollar  to  one  thousand  dollars.  The  whole 
number  of  contributors  was  between  three  and  four 
thousand.  The  structure  is  the  property  of  the  Cape 
Cod  Pilgrim  Memorial  Association,  not  of  the  General 
Government,  nor  of  the  Commonwealth. 

The  corner  stone  of  the  Monument  was  laid 
August  20,  1907,  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in 
Massachusetts,  in  the  presence  of  Theodore  Roosevelt, 
President  of  the  United  States,  who  made  an  address. 

The  Monument  was  dedicated  August  5,  1910,  the 
dedicatory  address  being  given  by  Dr.  Charles  W. 
Eliot,  President-Emeritus  of  Harvard  University. 
William  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United  States,  was 
present  and  made  an  address. 

The  design  of  the  Monument,  after  much  deliber- 
ation, was  copied  from  the  tower  of  Terre  del  Mangia 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  151 

in  Siena,  Italy.  It  is  of  the  Italian  Renaissance 
order  of  architecture.  There  are  several  other  similar 
towers  in  different  parts  of  Italy,  notably  one  in 
Florence,  which  forms  the  Campanile  of  Palazzo 
Vecchio.  There  was  no  special  reason  for  choosing 
this  design  save  that  of  its  extraordinary  beauty  and 
dignity. 

The  Monument  is  252  feet,  seven  and  one-half 
inches  in  total  height,  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of 
the  utmost  battlement.  This  is  about  thirty  feet 
higher  than  Bunker  Hill  Monument.  The  site  on 
which  it  stands,  on  Town  Hill,  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  above  tide  water,  making  a  total  height  above  sea 
level  of  upwards  of  352  feet.  Its  foundation  is  sixty 
feet  square  at  its  base  and  is  composed  of  concrete, 
reinforced  with  steel  bars,  placed  in  layers  five  inches 
apart.  The  Monument  is  built  wholly  of  Maine  gran- 
ite, and  is  twenty-eight  feet  square  at  the  base.  Every 
stone  of  the  structure  is  of  the  entire  thickness  of  the 
wall.  The  arches  of  the  bell-chamber  are  thirty  feet 
in  height.  The  masonry  is  of  the  most  substantial 
character.  Modern  skill  can  not  erect  a  better  building. 

The  ascent  of  the  Monument  is  extremely  easy, 
an  inclined  plane,  after  the  manner  of  that  of  the 
famous  Campanile  in  Venice,  taking  the  place  of  the 
usual  flight  of  stairs.  It  is  said  that  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte rode  up  the  original  Campanile  San  Marco  on 
horseback.'' 

The  design  of  the  Monument  was  selected  by  a 
non-resident  committee,  who  chose  what  they  chose 
for  its  dignity  and  beauty,  but  seem  not  to  have  con- 


152  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

sidered  its  site,  and  the  event  it  marks.  The  Pilgrim 
Fathers  would  doubtless  have  called  it  papish  and  not 
to  be  put  up  with,  but  we  know  that  the  Pilgrims 
objected  to  much  about  which  they  had  better  have 
remained  silent. 

More  than  twenty  thousand  visitors  register,  pay 
the  entrance  fee,  and  climb  to  the  top  of  the  monument 
every  summer. 

The  analysis  of  Pilgrim  character  in  Dr.  Eliot's 
address  at  the  dedication  of  the  Monument  is  especially 
fine. 

The  inscription  on  the  Monument,  also  by  Dr. 
Eliot,  is  as  follows.  "On  Nov.  21st  1620,  the  May- 
flower, carrying  one  hundred  and  two  passengers, 
men,  women  and  children,  cast  anchor  in  this  harbor, 
sixty-seven  days  from  Plymouth,  England.  The  same 
day,  the  forty-one  adult  males  in  the  company  solemnly 
covenanted  and  combined  together  in  a  civil  body 
politic.  This  body  politic  established  and  maintained 
on  the  bleak  and  barren  edge  of  a  vast  wilderness,  a 
state  without  a  king  or  a  noble,  a  church  without  a 
bishop  or  a  priest,  a  democratic  commonwealth,  the 
members  of  which  were  'straightly  tied  to  all  care  of 
each  other's  good  and  of  the  whole  by  every  one.' 
With  long-suffering  devotion  and  sober  resolution,  they 
illustrated  for  the  first  time  in  history,  the  principles 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty  and  the  practice  of  a 
genuine  democracy.  Therefore  the  remembrance  of 
them  shall  be  perpetuated  in  the  vast  republic  that  has 
inherited  their  ideals." 


A  Hint  at  the  Natural  History 
of  Provincetown 

Contributed  by  Mr.  J.  Henry  Slake. 

THE   beauties   of   Provincetown   have   been   pro- 
claimed and  pictured  on  canvas  by  the  students 
of  art  and  truthfully  have  shown  to  the  world 
the  enticing  attractions  in  that  line.     The  clear  atmos- 
phere, the  open  sky  effects,  the  brilliant  ripples  to  the 
high  surf  of  old  ocean,  all  have  been  studied  by  the 
lover  of  art,  but  they  are  like  the  old  sailor  who  said: 
"I  have  been  all  around  the  world  with  Captain  Cook, 
and  all  I  saw  was  the  sky  above  and  the  water  below." 

A  noted  art  critique  once  said:  "Nature  is  God's 
art,  art  man's."  So  in  these  few  lines  I  wish  to  try  to 
show  some  of  the  interesting  and  wonderful  works  in 
God's  art,  and  such  as  can  be  easily  seen  and  studied 
by  those  who  have  the  pleasure  of  visiting  Province- 
town,  the  first  landing  place  of  the  Pilgrims. 

The  whole  geographical  position  of  the  Cape  is 
such  that  it  catches  the  animals  of  the  north  and  those 
of  the  south,  and  the  hand  with  the  index  finger  bent 
inward  holds  varied  faunae.  The  Gulf  Stream  brings 
animals  from  the  south,  while  the  cold  current  from  the 
north,  which  bathes  the  Maine  coast  to  Massachusetts 


154  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Bay,  brings  animals  from  that  region.  The  Sperm 
Whale  (Physeter  macrocephalus},  and  the  Pygmy  Sperm 
(Kogia  breviceps),  the  only  two  kinds  of  Sperm  Whales 
known,  and  the  Bottle-nose  Whale  (Hyperoodon  am- 
pullatum),  all  of  them  tropical  whales,  have  been 
captured  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  with  the  Right 
Whale  (Balaena  glacialis),  a  representative  of  the  North 
Atlantic.  Because  of  these  favorable  agencies  Prov- 
incetown's  fauna  is  varied,  and  most  interesting. 
Shells  have  been  found  alive  in  Provincetown,  the 
true  habitat  of  which  is  Florida  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  flora  of  Provincetown  deserves  consideration 
because  of  the  wholly  sea  formation  of  its  soil.  In 
its  woods  and  on  the  margins  of  its  ponds  are  found 
500  or  more  different  plants,  some  of  them  having 
beautiful  flowers  and  fragrant  perfume.  But  there  is 
no  plant  so  useful  to  Provincetown  as  the  Beach-grass 
(Ammophila  arenaria,  which  means  "a  lover  of  the 
sand"),  as  is  manifested  by  a  trip  to  the  sand  dunes 
where  this  grass  is  about  the  only  plant  to  grow,  and 
is  thus  valuable  in  holding  the  otherwise  drifting  sands. 
It  is  a  native  of  this  country,  and  is  found  along  the 
coast  from  New  Brunswick  to  North  Carolina,  and  also 
in  the  saline  regions  of  the  Great  Lakes  in  the  interior. 
Only  one  of  the  plants  of  Provincetown  lives  wholly 
in  salt  water,  and  that  is  the  Eelgrass  (Zostera  marina, 
Fig.  1),  from  the  Greek  meaning  sea-ribbon,  or  belt, 
from  its  resemblance  to  the  same.  This  Eelgrass  has 
monoecious  flowers  arranged  alternately  in  two  rows 
on  the  spadix,  and  the  ribbed  seeds  %  inch  long,  and 
looking  much  like  a  Chinese  lantern,  are  found  plenti- 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


155 


Fig  i    Zostera  marina 

fully  among  the  cast-up  seaweeds  on  the  shore.  It 
is  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  the  Zostera  waving  its  slender, 
green,  ribbon-like  leaves  in  the  water,  making  a  home 
for  Hydroids,  Bryozoa,  and  myriads  of  little  creatures 
which  live  among  its  branches. 

The  algae,  or  seaweeds,  of  Provincetown  are  not 
numerous  because  of  lack  of  rocks  on  the  shores,  but 
are  very  handsome,  the  rich  brown,  green  and  red 
making  them  objects  of  beauty  when  growing  in  the 
sunny  pools  or  floating  in  the  sea.  There  are  about 
50  species,  some  of  which  are  found  living  in  the  waters 
all  around  the  earth.  They  are  attractive  objects  in 
albums,  as  they  can  be  floated  upon  paper,  pressed 
easily,  and  retain  their  natural  colors. 

The  fishes  consist  of  more  than  125  species,  none 
of  them  without  interest,  from  the  historic  Cod  to  the 
little  Stickleback  (Apeltes  quadracus)  which  makes  its 
nest  and  rears  its  young  in  a  homelike  manner.  Among 


156 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


the  curious  fish   is   the  Pipe-fish  (Fig.  2),   (Syngnathus 
fuscus),  which  lives  among    the  seaweeds,  and  has  this 


Fig.     ^    Pipe  Fish 

peculiarity — that  it  is  the  male  fish  which  takes  care 
of  the  young  by  carrying  them  in  a  pouch  on  the 
ventral  side,  like  the  Kangaroo.  The  Horse-fish  (Fig. 
3),  (Hippocampus  hudsonius}  is  a  near  relative,  and  with 
the  same  habits,  the  young  swimming  out  and  into 
this  pouch  at  will.  The  Torpedo  (Tetronace  occi- 
dentalis},  with  its  electric  batteries;  the  Swell-fish 
(Spheroides  maculatus},  which  has  the  power  to  inflate 
itself  as  large  as  a  football,  as  a  means  of  protection; 
and  the  Sunfish  (Fig.  4),  (Mola  mold),  which  is  curious 
in  form,  and  pieces  of  which  can  be  used  like  a  rubber 
ball,  is  sometimes  7  feet  from  tip  of  dorsal  to  tip  of 
ventral  fins,  are  all  found  at  Provincetown. 


Fig.    3    Horse    Fish 


Fig.     4    Sunfish 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  157 


Fig.  j— Goose-fish 

The  Goose-fish,  (Fig.  5),  so  named  "because  it 
does  not  know  as  much  as  a  goose"  is  often  found  on 
the  beach.  It  is  known  in  the  scientific  world  as 
Lophius  piscatorius,  and  is  noted  for  its  large  mouth, 
which  is  one-third  as  large  as  the  fish.  The  gill  open- 
ings are  placed  behind  the  pectoral  fins,  a  feature 
possessed  by  no  other  Provincetown  fish.  Many 
instances  are  told  of  their  swallowing  large  birds  which 
were  resting  on  the  water,  fish  half  as  large  as  them- 
selves, and  even  floating  buoys. 

The  Flatfish  are  well  represented,  from  the  Halibut, 
weighing  more  than  300  Ibs.,  to  the  small  "Window- 
pane"  Flounder.  All  Flatfish  have  their  eyes  on  the 
two  sides,  like  other  fish,  when  very  young,  but  as  they 
grow  and  swim  on  the  side,  right  or  left,  one  eye  is 
forced  over,  so  in  all  adults  the  two  eyes  are  on  one 
side.  To  compare  a  Flounder  with  an  ordinary  fish 
it  should  be  placed  on  its  edge,  when  all  fins  will  be 
in  place.  The  skull  of  the  Flounder  is  twisted  to 
accomodate  the  eyes.  Many  other  fish  could  be 
enumerated,  such  as  the  gamey  Pollock,  Horse-mack- 


158  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

erel,  weighing  600  Ibs.,  and  others.  Provincetown  has 
sport  for  the  fisherman,  food  for  the  epicure,  and 
abundant  material  for  the  student  in  natural  history, 
all  for  the  taking. 

I  have  mentioned  the  Cetacea  and  the  fishes  which 
represent  the  Vertebrata  as  those  animals  which  have 
"back-bones,"  or  vertebral  columns,  but  let  me  now 
call  attention  to  the  more  numerous  group  of  Inverte- 
brates, such  as  are  met  with  during  a  walk  along  the 
beach.  It  is  said  that  "God  is  great  in  great  things, 
but  he  is  especially  great  in  little  things,"  which  we 
can  find  illustrated  in  the  animal  life  of  Provincetown. 
In  almost  every  handful  of  sand  taken  up  from  the 
beach,  in  places,  some  evidence  of  animal  life  is  seen. 


Fig  6    Foraminifera 

The  Foraminifera,  Fig.  6,  (microscopic,  one-celled 
animals)  exist  by  the  thousands,  and  probably  50 
different  species  could  be  found.  It  is  computed  that 
one  ounce  of  sand  from  the  Antilles  contains  4,000,000 
shells  of  Foraminifera.  It  is  the  shelly  skeletons  of 
these  little  creatures  that  largely  compose  the  lime- 
stones and  chalk  of  commerce,  and  the  rock  used  in 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 


159 


building  many  of  the  beautiful  houses  of  Paris.  Some 
of  these  little  shells,  not  one  quarter  as  large  as  the 
head  of  a  pin,  are  exquisite  in  architectural  plan,  and, 
although  the  animal,  one  of  the  lowest,  is  but  a  bit 
of  protoplasm,  with  no  eyes,  mouth  or  stomach,  yet 
it  performs  all  these  necessary  functions,  and  moves 
by  means  of  pseudopodia  (false  feet)  composed  of 
stringy  threads. 

But  it  is  not  necessary  to  consider  such  small 
things,  as  there  is  an  abundance  of  larger  and  more 
observable  forms  along  the  beach.  The  shores  are 
divided  into  zones,  such  as  Littoral,  Laminarian, 
Coralline,  etc.,  but  we  will  consider  the  Littoral  zone 
only,  or  that  which  extends  from  high  to  low  water 


Fig.  7 — Clam    (Mya  arenaria) 
A,  B,  Muscles  which  shut  the  valves;  C,  intesine; 
D,  mantle;  E,  anus;  F,  foot;  G,  gills;  H,  heart; 
I,  contains  stomach,  liver,  etc. 

mark.  The  common  clam,  (Fig.  7)  Mya  arenaria,  is 
the  most  conspicuous  shell  on  the  beach,  and,  although 
many  are  dug,  few  people  know  that  the  so-called 


160  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

snout  or  siphon  of  the  clam  is  its  tail,  that  the  head 
and  mouth  are  in  the  opposite  end,  and  that  the  large, 
brown  mass  seen  on  the  inside  is  the  liver,  the  richest 
part  of  the  clam,  although  often  thrown  away  by 
cooks.  This  illustrates  the  saying  that,  "We  often 
know  the  least  about  those  things  which  are  the  most 
familiar  to  us." 

Of  the  300  or  more  different  species  of  shells  found 
on  the  shores  of  Provincetown  there  is  a  large  number 
which  resemble  clams,  but  are  not.  Therefore  the 
name  is  very  misleading.  The  so-called  "little-neck 
clam,"  is  simply  the  young  of  the  quahaug  (Venus 
mercenaria).  The  quahaug  is  common  in  Province- 
town,  and  it  was  from  the  blue  part  on  the  interior 
of  the  shell  that  the  Indians  made  their  "suckanhock," 
or  black  money,  which  was  twice  the  value  of  white 
money  or  "Wampum." 

The  common  mussel  (Mytilus  edulis),  is  perhaps 
the  next  most  familiar  shell,  and  is  of  a  beautiful  blue, 
and  edible,  as  the  scientific  name  implies.  In  England 
it  is  sold  for  food  in  large  quantities,  but  is  seldom 
seen  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States,  simply 
because  it  is  not  fashionable  to  eat  it.  Unlike  the 
clam,  its  habit  is  to  live  above  ground,  where,  soon 
after  its  escape  from  the  egg,  it  anchors  itself  by  a 
strong  byssus  and  spends  its  life  near  the  spot.  It  has 
no  foot  that  can  be  used  to  crawl  with,  but  in  the  lower 
part  of  this  corresponding  organ  is  a  long  groove  in 
which  this  strong  anchor  rope  is  prepared  and  extended 
to  carry  out  this  hair-like  byssus  and  attach  it  to  a 
stone  or  shell.  This  process  repeated  many  times 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  161 

produces  a  hair-like  bunch  of  threads,  and  if  the  shell 
dies  or  is  bitten  away  by  some  fish,  this  byssus  is  left 
attached  to  the  stone  or  shell,  and  is  often  pulled  up 
by  fishermen  who  believe  it  is  "growing  hair."  This 
process  of  the  shell's  anchoring  itself  is  easily  seen  by 
placing  a  live  mussle  in  a  white  dish  of  sea  water. 

Another  interesting  shell  seen  on  our  walk  is 
Asiarie  castanea,  found  alive  in  only  one  place  in  the 
harbor,  and  on  the  Long  Point  shore.  It  is  quite 
plentiful,  one  inch  in  diameter,  chestnut  color  as  the 
name  shows,  and  the  animal  is  bright  orange.  The 
shells  are  white  when  bleached  in  the  sun,  and  washed 
by  the  sea,  looking  like  white  buttons  minus  the  holes, 
and  like  the  quahaug  in  shape.  This  shell  is  more 
interesting  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  deep  water  shell, 
but  with  characteristics  of  those  inhabiting  island 
shores,  and  Provincetown,  being  almost  an  island,  this 
shell  thrives  here. 

Another  little  shell  should  not  pass  notice  because 
of  its  beauty  and  great  numbers.  There  is  no  common 
name,  but  the  scientific  name  is  Gemma  gemma.  It 
is  shaped  like  the  quahaug,  but  is  seldom  more  than 
^8  inch  long,  and  this  little  blue  shell  is  found  along 
the  beach,  and  so  plentiful  in  places  that  they  make 
a  blue  streak  as  they  lay  upon  the  sand. 

The  "Ship-worm"  (Teredo  navalis),  is  not  a  worm, 
but  a  bivalve  shell.  The  two  valves  are  on  the  an- 
terior end,  within  the  wood  bored  by  these  little  shells. 

The  few  shells  mentioned  above  are  Bivalves 
(2  valves).  I  will  now  mention  the  Univalves,  a 
group  which  contains  the  larger  number.  The  two 


162 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


most   conspicuous   univalve   shells   on    the   beach   are 
"Sweetmeats"  or  "Conchowinkles,"  local  names  of  no 


Fig.    8 
Polinices  duplicata 


Fig.    9 
Polinices  heros 


special  meaning.  The  two  species  differ  in  one,  (Fig. 
8),  (Polinices  duplicata),  having  a  large,  purplish-red 
callosity  on  the  under  side,  while  the  other,  (Fig.  9) 
(Polinices  heros)  has  none.  Both  are  blind,  and  burrow 
in  the  sand  for  food,  living  upon  dead  fish  or  animals 
of  shells  which  they  bore  with  their  radulae,  or  lingual 
ribbons,  which  are  armed  with  hundreds  of  chitinous 
teeth,  and  then  suck  out  the  animals.  This  is  largely 
responsible  for  the  holes  seen  in  many  shells,  although 
all  univalvular  shells  have  radulae  for  rasping  holes. 
None  of  the  bivalves  have  radulae. 

The  egg-cases  of  these  shells  are  often  seen  on  the 
flats  and  are  called  "sand-collars"  (Fig.  10),  because  of 
their  shape.  These  eggs  are  mixed  with  sand  as  they 
are  layed  around  the  anterior  part  of  the  shell  and  so 
moulded.  If  the  shell  is  placed  in  this  collar  it  fits 
perfectly,  and  if  the  collar  or  egg-case  is  held  to  the 
light  the  egg  capsules  containing  the  young  are  easily 
seen. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 


163 


Fig.  10    Sand-collar 

The  most  plentiful  univalve  shell  seen  at  Province- 
town  is  the  "Periwinkle"  (Littorina  litorta),  although 
not  known  here  previous  to  1869.  It  is  a  black  shell, 
sometimes  one  inch  in  diameter,  and  was  introduced 
from  England,  where  it  is  used  as  food,  to  the  Provinces, 
from  which  it  has  spread  its  way  along  the  coast  of 
Maine  and  Massachusetts,  until  to-day  it  is  plentiful 
as  far  as  New  York. 

The  shell  which  was  the  most  attractive  and 
abundant  in  Provincetown  until  recent  years,  is  Thais 
lapillus,  (Fig.  11).  It  could  be  seen  by  the  thousands 


Fig.  1 1     Thais  lapillus  and  eggs 

on  the  piles  of  the  wharves,  where  it  fed  on  barnacles, 
but  now  few  are  left.  They  were  one  inch  long,  red, 
yellow,  white  and  brown,  also  banded  with  colors,  but 
since  the  introduction  of  the  Littorina  litorea  and  the 
destruction  of  the  wharves  by  the  "Portland  Gale," 


164  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

few  remain.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  shaped  like 
ten-pins  standing  on  the  little  ends,  are  quarter  of  an 
inch  high,  and  there  are  50  or  more  in  a  colony.  They 
are  found  attached  to  piles  or  stones  during  the  summer 
months. 

A  number  of  shells  are  found  in  the  fresh  water 
ponds,  and  some  in  the  brackish  estuaries,  but  the 
majority  are  found  in  the  Littoral  and  Laminarian 
Zones,  and  so  on,  to  the  deeper  sea.  On  the  ocean 
side  are  found  shells  which  are  not  seen  in  the  harbor, 
the  most  common  being  Mesodesma  arctatum,  a  clam- 
like  bivalve  with  a  truncated  anterior  end. 

The  Cephalopods  (head-foot),  are  the  most  highly 
developed  of  all  shell-fish,  and  include  the  Squid,  which 
are  found  in  Provincetown,  at  times,  in  great  numbers. 
There  are  two  kinds.  One  with  big  fins  (Loligo  pealii}, 
and  one  with  small  fins  (Ommastrephes  illecebrosa). 
The  Squid  swim  by  ejecting  a  jet  of  water  from  the 
siphon  which  is  under  the  head,  and  can  dart  through 
the  water  rapidly,  always  going  tail  foremost.  When 
pursuing  their  prey,  however,  they  can  dart  head 
foremost  by  reversing  their  siphons,  and  seize  little 
fish  with  their  two  long  tentacles,  which  have  suckers 
on  their  tips  only,  then  grasp  it  with  the  eight  tentacles, 
which  have  suckers  their  whole  length,  thence  to  the 
mouth,  situated  between  the  tentacles,  which  is  armed 
with  beaks  like  a  bird,  except  that  the  lower  beak  of 
the  Squid  laps  over  the  upper,  opposite  to  that  of 
birds. 

The  shell  consists  of  a  thin,  transparent  "pen," 
just  under  the  skin  the  whole  length  of  the  back,  and 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  165 

the  Squid  also  carries  a  sack  of  ink  for  clouding  the 
water,  similar  to  the  smoke  screens  used  during  the 
war,  to  enable  them  to  escape  from  their  enemies. 
They  can  also  change  their  color  at  will,  from  a  deep 
red  to  a  pale  white,  which  aids  them  in  capturing 
their  prey.  Both  species  possess  these  characteristics, 
and  there  is  no  "boneless  Squid." 

The  Radiata,  Starfish,  etc.,  are  represented  by 
several  interesting  forms.  The  common  Starfish  is 
recognized  in  different  varieties.  Any  one  arm  of  the 
star  is  able  to  reproduce  its  kind,  and  the  five  points, 
if  separated,  will  grow  into  five  individuals,  all  having 
five  points  and  an  eye  at  the  extremity  of  each. 

The  "Basket-fish"  (Astrophyton  agassizii),  named 
for  the  great  naturalist,  Prof.  Louis  Agassiz,  is  a  common 
form,  having  the  points  of  the  star  divided  and  sub- 
divided until  it  has  81,920  terminal  branches.  The 
name  "Basket-star"  was  given  by  John  Winthrop, 
Governor  of  Connecticut,  who  sent  one  to  London  in 
1670.  One  of  its  modes  of  feeding  is  to  raise  itself 
and  rest  on  the  tips  of  its  many  arms,  like  an  inverted 
basket,  whence  the  name  "Basket-fish,"  and  little  fish 
etc.,  are  easily  caught  in  this  trap.  The  "Basket-fish" 
is  caught  off  Race  Point  on  the  "Spider  Bottom,"  a 
bank  named  for  this  starfish,  where  it  can  be  found  in 
great  numbers. 

But  I  think  that  the  "Sea-urchin"  is  the  most 
wonderful  animal  of  its  class — Radiata.  The  common 
Sea-urchin  (Strongylocentrotus  drobachiensis}  is  very 
plentiful  in  some  localities  and  is  found  along  the  coast 
northward,  Provincetown  being  its  southern  limit.  It 


166 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


is  closely  related  to  the  Starfish,  which  is  easily  seen 
by  bending  the  five  arms  of  the  Starfish  upward  to  the 
dorsal  center,  the  so-called  legs  corresponding  to  those 
of  the  Sea-urchin.  It  has  no  eyes,  ears,  feet,  stomach, 
etc.,  yet  has  the  power  to  substitute  the  functions  of 
all  these  organs.  It  is  covered  with  spines  for  protec- 
tion, and  these  three  kinds  of  spines  are  movable  on 
little  knobs  which  arise  from  calcareous  plates  which 
make  up  the  test.  The  five  ambulacra  which  radiate 
from  the  dorsal  center  have  holes  in  the  two  rows  of 
plates  through  which  some  1800  long  sucker-bearing 
tubes,  used  for  locomotion,  are  protruded.  The  mouth, 
which  is  on  the  ventral  side,  is  armed  with  five  teeth, 
and  this  complicated  structure  (called  Aristotle's  lan- 
tern) requires  60  muscles  to  work  the  five  jaws  in 
masticating  its  seaweed  food. 

But  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  Sea-urchin 
is  the  fact  that  its  body  is  covered  with  hundreds  of 


Fig.     ii    Pedicellariae 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  167 

pedicellariae  (Fig.  12),  whose  purpose  is  to  keep  the 
body  and  spines  clean.  These  little  organs  can  easily 
be  seen  attached  to  the  test  at  the  base  of  the  spines, 
and  consist  of  a  pointed  stalk  with  a  three-pointed 
pincer  at  the  tip  which  can  be  seen  picking  up  particles 
of  dirt  and  sometimes  handing  them  along  to  other 
pincers,  until  carried  clear  of  the  body.  The  mouth 
of  the  Sea-urchin  is  in  the  center  of  the  ventral  side, 
while  the  anus  is  in  the  center  of  the  dorsal  side. 

The  common  Sand-dollar  (Echinarachnius  parma) 
is  closely  related  to  the  Sea-urchin,  and  has  most  of 
its  characteristics,  the  chief  difference  being  that  it  is 
flat  instead  of  round,  and  that  it  has  short  spines 
instead  of  long. 

There  are  many  forms  of  Crustacea  (from  "crusta" 
referring  to  the  crust-like  covering),  or  crabs,  but  the 
most  familiar  is  the  Hermit-crab  which  carries  a  bor- 
rowed shell  on  its  back  for  protection.  When  very 
young  it  swims  at  the  surface,  after  which  it  sinks  to 
the  bottom  never  more  to  rise.  As  it  has  no  hard 
covering  for  its  body,  like  other  crabs,  it  looks  about 
for  a  house  to  live  in,  and,  finding  a  common  shell 
handy,  it  backs  in,  thus  protecting  the  soft  part  of 
its  body  which  is  a  tempting  morsel  to  some  fish. 
From  the  Hermit-crab's  early  days  instinct  leads  it 
to  choose  a  house,  and  when  the  animal  outgrows  one 
shell  it  moves  into  a  larger  one  without  consulting  a 
landlord. 

The  Fiddler-crab  (Gelasimus  pugilator  or  Uca 
puligator)  lives  in  the  marshes,  in  holes  which  they  dig 
by  rolling  up  and  bringing  out  the  sand  in  pellets, 


168  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

carrying  it  some  distance  away  from  their  holes.  Their 
food,  of  algae,  they  carry  into  their  holes  the  same 
way.  Only  the  male  has  one  small,  and  one  large 
claw  like  a  fiddle,  hence  the  name,  while  the  female 
has  two  small  claws. 

The  common  "Beach-flea"  (Orchestia  agilis)  is 
found  in  holes  along  the  beach,  even  above  tide. 

An  interesting  Crustacean  is  the.  common  Horse- 
shoe Crab  (Limulus  polyphemus),  as  it  is  the  only 
living  representative  of  a  prehistoric  race,  the  Trilo- 
bites,  many  of  which  are  found  in  a  fossil  state.  It 
has  two  sets  of  eyes,  one  compound  eye  on  each  side 
of  the  head,  and  a  pair  of  simple  eyes  in  the  anterior 
middle  of  the  head,  a  characteristic  of  the  Spiders,  to 
which  it  is  more  closely  related  than  to  the  Crabs. 
As  its  hard,  chitinous  shell  prevents  growth,  it  is  shed 
and  a  new  one  formed,  thus  allowing  growth  of  the 
animal  to  take  place.  Not  only  is  the  outer  covering 
shed,  but  all  the  chitinous  internal  structure,  also. 
The  shedding  takes  place  by  the  anterior  edge  of  the 
shell  splitting,  allowing  the  newly-formed  animal  to 
work  its  way  out  of  the  old  shell.  Many  of  the  cast-off 
shells  are  seen  on  the  beaches.  The  female  is  four 
times  larger  than  the  male,  but  at  a  certain  molting, 
(Fig.  13),  not  yet  discovered,  the  front  claws  of  the 
male  change  to  a  pair  adapted  to  holding  on  to  the 
shell  of  the  female,  as  they  go  in  pairs  in  the  breeding 
season,  and  lay  their  eggs  in  the  sand  to  hatch  in  a 
month.  When  the  young  are  hatched  from  the  eggs, 
they  have  no  tail,  this  terminal  spine  developing  later. 

I  have  mentioned  only  a  few  of  the  many  marine 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


169 


Fig.  1 3— Corresponding  Claws 
of  Horse-shoe  Crab 


animals  found  on  the  beaches  of  Provincetown,  but 
I  trust  that  enough  have  been  mentioned  to  create 
some  interest  in  the  products  which  Nature  has  be- 
stowed so  abundantly.  "Nature  never  yet  betrayed 
the  heart  that  loved  her,"  and  to  the  one  seeking 
wisdom  in  the  line  of  natural  history  there  is  no  better 
place  than  Provincetown.  For  the  summer  visitor, 
like  Whittier's  "Barefoot  Boy," 

"Eschewing  books  and  tasks, 
Nature  answers  all  he  asks." 


The  Flowers 

THE  number  of  green  things  growing  on  the  hills, 
in  the  swamps,  around  the  ponds,  and  along  the 
shore  is  greater  than  one  would  expect  who 
remembers  that  our  native  soil  is  pure  sand  rolled  and 
washed  and  heaped  up  in  naked  bars  by  the  sea,  for 
Cape  Cod,  thrust  out  sixty  miles  into  the  ocean,  forms 
the  natural  boundary  between  northern  and  southern 
species;  stray  specimens,  from  both  north  and  south, 
brought  here  by  the  wind  and  tide,  catch  in  and  grow. 
Some  seeds  and  cuttings  have  been  brought  home  from 
oversea,  as  the  giant  willows  along  the  streets  all 
sprung  from  a  slip  from  St.  Helena.  Some  seeds, 
hidden  in  the  ballast  of  vessels,  have  germinated  and 
grown.  Some  plants  once  cultivated  near  the  houses 
have  now  escaped  and  are  growing  wild,  as  the  lilacs, 
houseleeks,  spearmint  and  the  bouncing  Bets,  brought 
in  1838  from  Orleans.  The  collector  working  around 
the  ponds  needs  patience,  for  the  ponds  have  no 
connection  one  with  another,  and  a  single  specimen 
may  be  found  in  one  locality  and  nowhere  else. 

I  suppose  that  the  seaweeds,  green,  red  and  brown, 
some  so  small  as  to  appear  like  scum  on  the  water, 
some  like  a  young  tree,  are  largely  unexplored.  Many 
varieties  grow  below  the  low-water  mark,  but  after 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  171 

a  storm  the  beach  is  covered  with  these,  and  with 
others  brought  from  long  distances.  Mr.  Frank  S. 
Collins,  a  native  of  Eastham,  was  an  authority  on 
seaweeds.  He  has  published  in  the  Tiifts  College 
Studies  an  interesting  account,  with  pictures  and 
directions  for  collecting,  preserving  and  classifying  the 
seaweeds. 

Out  of  the  swamps  come  a  multitude  of  insects. 
Nearly  a  thousand  different  kinds  of  Provincetown 
insects  are  recorded  in  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History. 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers  describe  the  shore  as  wooded 
to  the  water's  edge.  They  mention  oaks,  pines,  sassa- 
fras, juniper,  birch,  holly  vines,  ash,  walnut.  These 
are  still  found,  with  the  exception  of  the  ash  and 
walnut.  I  like  to  couple  with  this  list  by  William 
Bradford,  the  words  of  Bradford  Torrey  which  he 
calls,  "A  Pitch  Pine  Meditation." 

"The  conifera  are  all  symmetrical  except  the  pitch 
pine.  The  Puritans  of  New  England  are  mostly  dead, 
but  as  long  as  the  Pinus  rigida  covers  the  sandy  knolls 
of  Massachusetts,  the  sturdy,  uncompromising,  inde- 
pendent, economical,  indefatigable,  all-enduring  spirit 
of  Puritanism  will  be  worthily  represented  in  its 
sometime  thriving-place." 

The  flora  of  the  tip  end  of  Cape  Cod  has  never 
been  collected,  except  as  loving  friends  have  brought 
home  and  preserved  beautiful  specimens.  Mrs.  Effie 
L.  Cook  made  a  list  which,  like  the  work  of  most  ama- 
teurs, may  be  open  to  correction.  Her  list,  with  a 
few  additions,  is  as  follows: 


172  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Adder's  Mouth  (Pogonia  ophioglossoides} 

Anemone 

Wild  Azalea  (Rhododendron  viscosum) 

Apple  of  Peru  (Datura  stramonium) 

Asters,  many  kinds 

Balm  of  Gilead 

Bayberry  (Myrica  cerifera} 

Beach  Pea  ((Lathyrus  maritimus} 

Beach  Plum  (Prunus  maritima] 

Beach  Grass  (Ammophila  arenaria) 

Black  Alder  (Ilex  verticillata] 

High  Bush  Blackberry  (Rubus} 

Running  Blackberry  (Rubus  hispidus) 

Black  Medick  (Medicago  lupulina} 

Horned  Bladderwort  (Utricularia  cornuta) 

Bluets  (Houstonia  caeruled) 

Blueberry  (Vaccinium)^  several  kinds 

Blue  Flag,  (Iris  versicolor] 

Blue  Toad  Flax  (Linaria  canadensis) 

Blue-eyed  Grass  (Sisyrinchium)  several 

Bouncing  Bet  (Saponaria  officinalis) 

Green  Brier  (Smilax  rotundifolia) 

Bunch  Berry,  (Cornus  canadensis} 

Butter  and  Eggs  (Linaria  vulgaris} 

Buttercup  (Ranunculus}  many  species 

Burdock  (Arctium  Lappa} 

Bedstraw,  rough    (Galium  asprellum) 

Bedstraw,  small  (Galium  trifidum) 

Bedstraw,  sweet-scented  (Galium  triflorum) 

Buckwheat 

Calopogon  (Calopgon  pulchellus) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  173 

Wild  Carrot  (Daucus  Carota) 

Cat-tails  (Typha  latifolia) 

Cat-tails  (Typha  angustifolia) 

Catchfly  (Silene  noctiflora) 

Celandine  (Chelidonium  majus) 

Chickweed,  (Sullaria)  several 

Wild  Cherry 

Chicory  (Cichorium  Intybus) 

Choke  Cherry  (Prunus  virginiana) 

Silvery  Cinquefoil  (Potentilla  argentea) 

Common  Cinquefoil  (Potentilla  canadensis) 

Red  Clover  (Trifolium  pratense) 

Rabbit's  foot  Clover  (Trifolium  arvense) 

White  Clover  (Trifolium  hybridum) 

Yellow  Sweet  Clover  (Trifolium  agrarium) 

Yellow  Low  Hop  Clover  (Trifolium  procumbens) 

Club  Rush,  many  species 

Wild  Columbine  (Aquilegia  canadensis) 

Cow  Wheat  (Melampyrum  lineare) 

Cranberry  (Faccinium)  several  kinds 

Carex,  a  sedge,  very  many  kinds 

Daisy  (Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum) 

Daisy  Fleabene  (Eri-geron  annuus) 

Dandelion  (Taraxacum  officinale) 

Dusty  Miller  (Artemisia  stelleriana) 

Dwarf  Dandelion  (Krigia  virginica) 

Fall  Dandelion  (Leontodon  autumnalis) 

Spreading  Dogbane  (Apocynum  androsaemifolium) 

Dogwood  (Rhus  Fernix) 

Elderberry  (Sambucus  canadensis) 

Evening  Primrose  (Oenothera  biennii) 


174  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Everlasting,  Pearly  (Anaphalis  margaritacea) 
Everlasting,  Fragrant  (Gnaphalium  polycephalum) 
False  Flax  (Camelina  sativa) 
Ferns,  Sensitive  (Onoclea  sensibilis} 
Ferns,  Shield  or  Wood  Fern  (Aspidium  spinulosum  in- 
termedium) 

False  Solomon's  Seal  (Smilacina  racemosa) 
Flowering  Fern  (Osmunda)  three  species 
Sweet  Fern  (Myrica  asplenifolia) 
Fire  Weed  (Epilobium  angustifolium) 
False  Spikenard  (Smilacina  racemosa} 
Gall-of-the-earth  (Prenanthes  serpentaria} 
Purple  Gerardia  (Gerardia  purpurea) 
Golden  Club  (Orontium  aquaticum) 
Golden  Rod,  many  kinds 
Grasses,  many  kinds 
Wild  Grapes 

Hairy  Hawkweed  (Hieracium) 

Herb  of  St.  Barbara  (Barbarea  vulgaris] 

Hog  Cranberry,  Bearberry  (Arctostaphylos  Uva-ursi) 

Houseleek  (Sedum  acre} 

Huckleberry  (Gaylussacia  resinosa) 

Jack-in-the-pulpit  (Arisaema  triphyllum) 
Juniper,  Red  Cedar  (Juniperus  virginiana) 

Lady's  Slipper  (Cypripedium  acaule) 

Ladies'  Tobacco  (Antennaria ) 

Wild  Lettuce  (Lactuca  canadensis) 
White  Water-lily  (Nymphaea  odorata) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  175 

Red  Wood  Lily  (Lilium  philadelphicum) 

Yellow  Pond  Lily  (Nuphar  advena) 

Wild  Yellow  Lily  (Lilium  Canadense) 

Loosestrife  (Lysimachia)  two  kinds 

Club-moss  (Lycopodium)  many  kinds 

Wild  Lily-of-the-valley  (Maianthemum  canadense) 

Common  Mallow,  "Cheeses"  (Malva  rotundifolia) 

Marsh  Rosemary  (Limonium  Carolinianum) 

Meadowroot  "  " 

Sea  Lavender 

May-weed  (Anthemis)  several 

Meadowsweet  (Spircza  latifolia) 

Common  Milkweed  (Asclepias  syriaca) 

Sand  Milkweed 

Common  Mullein  (Ferbascum  Thapsus) 

Moth  Mullein  (Verbascum  Blattarid) 

Dusty  Miller 

Mustard  (Brassica  arvensis) 

Mustard  (Brassica  nigra) 

Wild  Mints,  Spearmint,  Peppermint 

Nightshade  (Solanum  Dulcamara) 

Oaks  (Quercus)  several  kinds 

White-fringed  Orchis  (Habenaria  blephariglottis) 

Yellow  Oxalis,  Yellow  Wood  Sorrel  (Oxalis  stricta) 

Peppergrass  (Lepidium)  several  species 

Pipsissewa,  Prince's  Pine  (Chimaphila  umbellata) 

Pickerel  Weed  (Ponterderia  cordata] 

Pine  Weed  (Hypericum  gentianoides) 

Swamp  Pink,  Wild  Azalia  (Rhododendron  viscosum) 

Pitcher  Plant  (Sarracenia  purpurea) 

Pussy  Willow  (Salix  discolor) 


176          THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Pitch  Pine  (Pinus  rigida) 

Plantain  (Plantago) 

Poison  Ivy  (Rhus  toxic  ode  ndr  on) 

"Three    leaves,     foe;      five    leaves     (Woodbine) 

friend." 

Pond  Lily  (Castalia  odorata) 
Ragweed 

Rattlesnake  Weed  (Hieracium  venosum) 
Wild  Rose 

Wild  Rye  (Elymus  arenarius] 
Common  St.  John's-wort  (Hypericum  perforatum) 
Large  St.  John's-wort  (Hypericum  canadense) 
Small  St.  John's-wort  (Hypericum  mutilum) 
Marsh  St.  John's-wort  (Hypericum  virginicum) 
Sand  Spurrey  (Spergularia  marina) 
Sand  Spurrey  (Spergularia  rubra) 
Broad-leaved  Sandwort  (Arenaria  lateriflora) 
Sassafras  (Sassafras  variifolium) 
Bristly  Sarsaparilla  (Aralia  hispida} 
Scarlet  Pimpernel  (Anagallis  arvensis) 
Scotch  Broom  (Cytisus  scoparius) 
Self-heal  (Prunella  vulgaris) 

Shad-bush,  "Jose-pear"  (Amelanchier  oblongifolia) 
Shepherd's  Purse  (Capsella  Bursa-pastoris) 
Silver  Oak 
Sorrel 

Yellow  Wood  Sorrel  (Oxalis  corniculata) 
Southernwood 

Seaside  Spurge  (Euphorbia  poly gonif olio} 
Star  Flower  (Trientalis  americana) 
Steeple  Bush,  Hardhack  (Spiraea  tomentosa) 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  177 

Long-leaf  Starwort  or  Stitchwort  (Stellaria  longifolia) 

Sumach,  Staghorn  (Rhus  typhina) 

Sumach,  Poison  "dogwood"  (Rhus  Fernix) 

Strawberry 

Round-leaved  Sundew  (Drosera  rotundifolia) 

Sundrops  (Oenothera  fruticosa) 

Sedges,  many  kinds 

Tansy  (Tanacetum  vulgar e) 

Tupelo  (Nyssa  sylvatica) 

Willow 

White  Water  Lily  (Nymphaea  odorata) 

Woodbine  (Ampelopsis  quinquefolia) 

Wintergreen  (Gaultheria  procumbens) 

Spotted  Wintergreen  (Chimaphila  maculata) 

Violet,  Arrow-leaved 

Violet,  Common  Blue 

Violet,  White  Canada 

Violet,  White  Meadow 

Yarrow  (Achillfa  Millefolium) 

Yellow-eyed  Grass  (Xyris  flexuosa) 


Birds  of  the  Provincetown 
Region 

By  Edward  Howe  Forbush, 
State  Ornithologist 

THE  list  of  birds  given  below  should  be  regarded 
as    incomplete    and    provisional.     This    list    is 
based  on  two  lists  prepared  by  residents  of  the 
region. 

The  late  Mrs.  Effie  L.  Cook,  of  Provincetown, 
sent  me  a  list  of  land  birds  mainly  observed  there 
from  1880  to  1902,  and  Mr.  Joseph  G.  Peters,  Jr.,  of 
North  Truro,  has  sent  me  a  larger  list  obtained  more 
recently,  mainly  in  the  region  about  his  home.  As 
North  Truro  lies  next  to  Provincetown  on  the  south, 
and  as  Mr.  Peters  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  Province- 
town  and  Truro,  the  two  lists  together  may  fairly 
represent  the  birds  of  the  region.  Acknowledgment 
is  due  Mr.  Peters  for  his  kindness.  My  own  contribu- 
tion to  the  list  is  not  large. 

The  list  lacks  a  number  of  birds  of  prey,  sparrows, 
warblers,  thrushes,  etc.,  and  some  water  birds  and 
shore  birds,  which  undoubtedly  occur  either  regularly 
or  casually  in  the  region  and  eventually  may  be 
observed  there  and  recorded. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  179 

The  names  used  in  this  list,  with  the  exception  of 
those  of  the  Black  Duck  and  the  Red-legged  Black 
Duck,  are  those  used  in  the  third  edition  of  the  Amer- 
ican Ornithologists  Union  Check-list,  published  in  1910. 
No  attempt  has  been  made  to  bring  the  names  up  to 
date. 


Explanation  of  Terms  Used 

Resident — A    species    that     remains     in     the    region 
throughout  the  year. 

(a)  Summer  Resident — 

A  species  passing  the  summer  in  the  region  and 
presumably  breeding,  unless  otherwise  stated. 

(b)  Winter  Resident — 

A  species  passing  the  winter  in  the  region. 

(c)  Spring  or  Fall  Migrant,  usually  both. 

Species  that  do  not  stay  through  either  summer 
or  winter  in  the  region,  but  migrate  through  it. 

(d)  Rare— 

This  includes  also  some  very  rare  birds;  birds  not 
listed  as  rare,  occasional  or  accidental,  may  be 
more  or  less  common. 

(e)  Occasional  Transient  Visitant — • 

Usually  a  migrant  seen  irregularly,  or  a  seabird 
which  rarely  comes  near  shore. 
(/)  Accidental  Visitant — 

A  bird  out  of  its  usual  range  through  some  accident, 
such  as  a  severe  storm,  which  sometimes  drives 
birds  over  the  sea  far  beyond  their  normal  range. 


180  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Holboell's  Grebe  (Colymbus  holbcelli)  (b} 

Horned  Grebe  (Colymbus  auritus]  (e]  In  fall,  winter 
or  spring 

Pied-Billed  Grebe  (Podilymbus  podiceps)  (c) 

Loon  (Gavia  immer)  (c)  Irregular,  also  in  Winter 

Red-throated  Loon  (Gavia  stellata)  (b) 

Puffin  (Fratercula  arctica  arctica)  (<?)  Winter,  off  shore 

Black  Guillemot  (Cepphus  Grylle]  (b)  Irregular  off 
shore 

Brunnich's  Murre  (Uria  lomvia  lomvia}  (b)  Irregular 
off  shore 

Razor-billed  Auk  (Alca  torda)  (b)  Irregular  off  shore 

Dovekie  (Alle  alle)  (b)  Sometimes  abundant  off 
shore  mainly 

Pomarine  Jaeger  (Stercorarius  pomarinus)  (e)  Common- 
est in  autumn  offshore 

Parasitic  Jaeger  (Stercorarius  parasiticus}  (e)  Common- 
est in  autumn  offshore 

Long-tailed  Jaeger  (Stercorarius  longicaudus}  (/) 

Kittiwake  (Rissa  tridactyla  tridactyla}  (b)  Uncertain 
and  irregular 

Glaucous  Gull  (Larus  hyperboreus)  (e)  Uncertain  and 
irregular,  mainly  in  winter 

Iceland  Gull  (Larus  leucopterus]  (e)  Uncertain  and 
irregular,  fall,  winter  or  spring 

Great  Black-backed  Gull  (Larus  Marinus]  (b)  Occasion- 
al in  summer 

Herring  Gull  (Larus  argentatus}  (a)  Not  known  to 
breed.  Abundant  in  winter 

Ring-billed  Gull  (Larus  delazvarensis]  (c) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  181 

Laughing  Gull  (Larus  atricilla)  (e)  Mostly  in  summer. 

Increasing 
Bonaparte's    Gull    (Larus    Philadelphia)    (c)    Also    in 

winter  more  or  less 
Common  Tern  (Sterna  hirundo)  (a) 
Arctic  Tern  (Sterna  paradisaa)  (c} 
Roseate  Tern  (Sterna  dougalli)  (c) 
Least  Tern  (Sterna  antillarum)  (a)  Observed  at  Truro 

July  and  August  1921 
Greater  Shearwater  (Puffinus  gravis}   (e)  Common  to 

abundant  in  summer  on  fishing  banks 
Sooty  Shearwater  (Puffinus  griseus}  (<?)  Uncommon  in 

summer  on  fishing  banks 
Leach's  Petrel  (Oceanodroma  leucorhod)  (e) 
Wilson's  Petrel   (Oceanites  oceanicus)   (c)   Common  at 

times  off-shore  in  summer 

Gannet  (Sula  bassana}  (c)  An  off-shore  migrant 
Double-crested  Cormorant  (Phalacrocorax  auritus  auri- 

tus  (c) 

Merganser  (Mergus  americanus}  (b) 
Red-breasted  Merganser  (Mergus  serrator)  (b) 
Hooded  Merganser  (Lophodytes  cucullatus)  (b)  (d) 
Mallard  (Anas  platyrhynchos]  (c) 
Red-legged  Black  Duck  (Anas  rubripes  rubripes}  (b) 
Black  Duck  (Anas  rubripes  tristis]  Resident 
Baldpate  (Mareca  americana}  (c) 
Green-winged  Teal  (Nettion  carolinense]  (b)  (d} 
Blue-winged  Teal  (Querquedula  discors)  (c) 
Pintail  (Dafila  acuta)  (c)  (d)  Seen  irregularly  in  winter 
Wood  Duck  (Aix  sponsa}  (a)  (d) 
Scaup  Duck  (Marila  marild)  (b) 


182  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Lesser  Scaup  Duck  (Marila  affinis)  (c) 

Golden-eye  (Clangula  clangula  americana)  (b) 

Buffle-head  (Charitonetta  albeola)  (b) 

Old-squaw  (Harelda  hyemalis)  (b) 

Harlequin  Duck  (Histrionicus  histrionicus]  (/)  Winter 

Eider  (Somateria  dresseri)  (c)    Occasional  in  winter 

Scoter  (Oidemia  americana)  (b) 

White-winged  Scoter  (Oidemia  deglandi)  (b) 

Surf  Scoter  (Oidemia  perspicillata)  (b) 

Ruddy  Duck   (Erismatura  jamaicensis)    (c)   Has  been 

known  to  breed 

Snow  Goose  (Chen  hyperboreus  hyperboreus)  (c}  (d) 
Canada  Goose  (Branta  canadensis  canadensis)  (c)  Seen 

sometimes  in  winter 
Brant  (Branta  bernicla  glaucogastra)  (c) 
Whistling  Swan  (Olor  columbianus)  (c)  (d) 
Bittern  (Botaurus  lentiginosus)  (a) 
Least  Bittern  (Ixobrychus  exilis}  (d) 
Great  Blue  Heron   (Ardea  herodias  herodias)    (c)    (d) 

Seen  every  summer  month 
Egret  (Herodias  egreitd)  (e] 

Green  Heron  (Butorides  virescens  virescens]  (a)  (d) 
Black-crowned    Night    Heron    (Nycticorax    Nycticorax 

ncevius]    (a)    About   forty  pairs  nested  within  the 

region  until  1920 

Virginia  Rail  (Rallus  virginianus]  (a) 
Sora  (Porzana  Carolina)  (a)  (d) 
Coot  (Fulica  americana]  (c) 

Red  Phalarope  (Phalaropus  fulicarius)  (c)  off-shore 
Northern  Phalarope  (Lobipes  lobatus)  (c)  off-shore 
Woodcock  (Philohela  minor)  (a)  (d)  Small  flights  pass 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  183 

Wilson's  Snipe  (Gallinago  delicata)  (c) 
Dowitcher  (Macrorhamphus  griseus  griseus)  (c) 
Knot  (Tringa  canutus)  (c) 
Pectoral  Sandpiper  (Pisobia  maculata)  (c) 
White-rumped  Sandpiper  (Pisobia  fuscicollis)  (c) 
Baird's  Sandpiper  (Pisobia  bairdi)  (c)  (d) 
Least  Sandpiper  (Pisobia  minutilla)  (c) 
Red-backed  Sandpiper  (Pelidna  alpina  sakhalina)  (c) 
Semipalmated  Sandpiper  (Ereunetes  pusillus)  (c) 
Sanderling  (Calidris  leucophcea)  (c) 
Marbled  Godwit  (Limosa  fe doa)  (e)  (d) 
Hudsonian  Godwit  (Limosa  tuzmastica)  (e)   (d)  former- 
ly common 

Greater  Yellow-legs    (Totanus  melanoleucus)    (c} 
Yellow-legs  ( Totanus  flavipes)  (c)  uncommon  in  spring 
Solitary  Sandpiper  (Helodromas  solitarius  solitarius)  (c) 
Upland  Plover  (Bartramia  longicaudd)  (c]  (d) 
Spotted  Sandpiper  (Actitis  macularia)  (a) 
Hudsonian  Curlew  (Numenius  hudsonicus)  (c) 
Black-bellied  Plover  (Squatarola  squatarola)  (c) 
Golden   Plover   (Charadrius  dominions  dominions)    (c) 

(d)  Formerly  abundant 
Killdeer  (Oxyechus  vociferus)  (c) 
Semipalmated  Plover  (JBgialitis  semipalmata)  (c) 
Piping  Plover  (JEgialitis  melodd)  (a) 
Ruddy  Turnstone  (Arenaria  interpres  morinella)  (c) 
Bob-white  (Colinus  virginianus  virginianus)   Now  near- 
ing  extirpation 
Mourning    Dove    (Zenaidura    macroura    carolinensis) 

Resident 
Marsh  Hawk  (Circus  hudsonius]  (a) 


184  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk  (Accipiter  velox)  (a) 
Cooper's  Hawk  (Accipiter  cooperi)  (a}  (d) 
Goshawk  (Astur  atricapillus  atricapillus}  (c]  Winter 
Red-tailed  Hawk  (Buteo  borealis  borealis}  (c) 
Red-shouldered  Hawk  (Buteo  lineatus  lineatus}  (c)  (d) 
Rough-legged  Hawk  (Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti-johan- 

nis}  (c)  Winter 

Bald  Eagle  (Haliaetusleucocephalusleucocephalus)  (c)  (d) 
Duck  Hawk  (Falco  peregrinus  anatum)  (c)  (d) 
Pigeon  Hawk  (Falco  columbarius  columbarius]  (c) 
Sparrow  Hawk  (Falco  sparverius  sparverius}  (c} 
Osprey  (Pandion  haliaetus  carohnensis]  (c]  (d) 
Short-eared  Owl  (Asio  flammeus]  (a)  (b} 
Barred  Owl  (Strix  varia  varia}  (a)  (b) 
Saw-whet  Owl  (Cryptoglaux  acadica  acadicd)  (c)  (d) 
Screech  Owl  (Otus  asio  asio}  Resident 
Great  Horned  Owl  (Bubo  virginianusvirginianus  (c}  (b) 
Snowy  Owl  (Nyctea  nycted)  (c)  (d}    Appears  rarely  in 

winter 
Yellow-billed  Cuckoo  (Coccyzus  americanus  americanus) 

(a) 

Black-billed  Cuckoo  (Coccyzus  erythrophthalmus}  (a) 
Belted  Kingfisher  (Ceryle  alcyon)  (a) 
Hairy  Woodpecker  (Dryobates  villosus  villosus)  Resident 
Downy   Woodpecker    (Dryobates  pudescens   medianus) 

Resident 
Yellow-bellied   Sapsucker    (Shyrapicus    varius    varius) 

(c}  (d) 
Red-headed  Woodpecker  (Melanerpes  erythrocephalus) 

W  (d) 

Northern  Flicker  (Colaptes  auratus  luteus)  Resident 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  185 

Whip-poor-will  (Antrostomus  vociferus  vociferus)  (a) 

Chimney  Swift  (Chcetura  pelagic  a)  (a) 

Ruby-throated  Hummingbird  (Archilochus  colubris)  (a) 

(d) 

Kingbird  (Tyrannus  tyrannus)  (a) 
Crested  Flycatcher  (Myiarchus  crinitus)  (e) 
Phoebe  (Sayornis  phcebe)  (a) 
Wood  Pewee  (Myiochanes  virens)  (a) 
Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher  (Empidonax  flav iventris)  (e) 
Least  Flycatcher  (Empidonax  minimus)  (a)  (d) 
Horned  Lark  (Otocoris  alpestris  alpestris}  (b) 
Blue  Jay  (Cyanocitta  cristata  cristata)  Resident 
Crow  (Corvus  brachyrhynchos  brachyrhynchos)  Resident 
Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus)  (c)  (d) 
Cowbird  (Molothrus  ater  ater)  (a) 
Red-winged  Blackbird  (Agelaius  phoeniceus  phceniceus) 

w 

Meadowlark  (Sturnella  magna  magna)  (a) 

Orchard  Oriole  (Icterus  spurius)  (a)  (d) 

Baltimore  Oriole  (Icterus  galbula)  (a) 

Rusty  Blackbird  (Euphagus  carolinus)  (c)  (d) 

Purple  Crackle  (Quiscalus  quiscula  quiscula)  (a) 

Bronzed  Crackle  (Quiscalus  quiscula  ceneus)  (a) 

Evening  Grosbeak  (Hesperiphona  vespertina  vespertina) 

(c)Winter 

Pine  Grosbeak  (Pinicola  enucleator  leucura}  (c)  Winter 
Purple    Finch    (Carpodacus   purpureus   purpureus}    (d) 

Resident 

Crossbill  (Loxia  curvirostra  minor)  (c) 
Redpoll  (Acanthis  linaria  linaria)  (b)  (d) 
Goldfinch  (Astragalinus  tristis  tristis)  Resident 


186  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Snow  Bunting  (Plectrophenax  nivalis  nivalis}  (b) 
Lapland    Longspur    (Calcarius  lapponicus  lapponicus} 

(d)  (e)  In  early  winter 

Vesper  Sparrow  (Pocecetes  gramineus  gramineus}  (a) 
White-crowned  Sparrow  (Zonotrichia  leucophrys  leuco- 

phrys}  (c]  (d} 

White-throated  Sparrow  (Zonotrichia  albicollis}  (c)  (d) 
Tree  Sparrow  (Spizella  monticola  monticola}  (b)   (d) 
Chipping  Sparrow  (Spizella  passerina  passerina}  (a] 
Field  Sparrow  (Spizella  pusilla  pusilla}  (e)    May  breed 
Slate-colored  Junco  (Junco  hyemalis  hyemalis}  (c)  Winter 
Song  Sparrow  (Melospiza  melodia  melodia}  (a) 
Swamp  Sparrow  (Melospiza  georgiana}   (a)   (d)   Fairly 

common  in  migration 
Fox  Sparrow  (Passerella  iliaca  iliacd)  (c) 
Towhee  (Pipilo  erythrophthalmus  erythrophthalmus}  (a) 
Rose-breasted    Grosbeak    (Zamelodia   ludoviciana}    (a) 

(d}  Pair  and  nest  seen  in  1920  by  Mr.  Peters 
Indigo  Bunting  (Passerina  cyanea}  (a)  (d) 
Scarlet  Tanager  (Piranga  erythromelas)  (a)  (d) 
Summer  Tanager  (Piranga  rubra  rubrd)  (/)  Observed 

once  by  Mrs.  Cook 

Purple  Martin  (Progne  subis  subis]  (c}  (d) 
Cliff  Swallow  (Petrochelidon  lunifrons  lunifrons)  (a) 
Barn  Swallow  (Hirundo  erythrogastra]  (a) 
Tree  Swallow  (Iridoprocne  bicolor)  (a) 
Bank  Swallow  (Riparia  riparia)  (a) 
Cedar  Waxwing  (Bombycilla  cedrorum)  (d) 
Northern  Shrike  (Lanius  borealis)  (c}  Winter 
Red-eyed  Vireo  (Vireosylva  olivacea)  (a) 
Warbling  Vireo  (Vireosylva  gilva  giha)  (a) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  187 

Yellow-throated  Vireo  (Lanivireo  flavifrons}  (a) 
Blue-headed  Vireo  (Lanivireo  solitarius  solitarius)  (c) 
White-eyed  Vireo  (Vireo  griseus  griseus)  (a) 
Black  and  White  Warbler  (Mniotilta  varia)  (c) 
Northern    Parula    Warbler    (Compsothlypis   americana 

usned)  (a)  (d) 

Yellow  Warbler  (Dendroica  cestiva  cestiva)  (a) 
Black-throated    Blue   Warbler    (Dendroica   ccsrulescens 

ccerulescens)  (c) 

Myrtle  Warbler  (Dendroica  coronata)  (b) 
Magnolia  Warbler  (Dendroica  magnolia)  (c) 
Chestnut-sided  Warbler  (Dendroica  pensylvanica)  (a) 
Bay-breasted  Warbler  (Dendroica  castanea)  (c) 
Black-poll  Warbler  (Dendroica  striatd)  (c) 
Blackburnian  Warbler  (Dendroica  fusca)  (c) 
Black-throated  Green  Warbler  (Dendroica  virens  (d)  (a) 
Pine  Warbler  (Dendroica  vigor  si]  (a) 
Yellow  Palm  Warbler  (Dendroica  palmarum   hypcohry- 

sea)  (c) 

Prairie  Warbler  (Dendroica  discolor)  (c) 
Oven-bird  (Seiurus  aurocapillus)  (a) 
Northern   Yellowthroat    (Geothlypis   trichas   brachdi- 

actyla)  (a) 

Redstart  (Setophaga  ruticilla)  (a)  (d) 
Pipit  (Anthus  rubescens)  (c)  (d) 
Mockingbird  (Mimus  polyglottos  polyglottos)  (b)  (d) 
Catbird  (Dumetella  carolinensis)  (a) 
Brown  Thrasher  (Toxostoma  rufum)  (a) 
House  Wren  (Troglodytes  aedon  aedon)  (a)  (d) 
Winter  Wren  (Nannus  hiemalis  hiemalis)  (b) 
Brown  Creeper  (Certhia  familiaris  americana)  (c) 


188  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

White-breasted  Nuthatch  (Sitta  carolinensis  carolinen- 

sis)  (b) 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch  (Sitta  canadensis)  (b) 
Chickadee  (Penthestes  atricapillus  atricapillus)  Resident 
Golden-crowned  Kinglet  (Regulus  satrapa  satrapa)  (b) 
Ruby-crowned    Kinglet    (Regulus  calendula   calendula) 

(c) 

Veery  (Hylocichla  fuscescens  fuscescens)  (a)  (d) 
Olive-backed  Thrush  (Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsoni)  (c) 

(d) 

Hermit  Thrush  (Hylocichla  guttata  pallasi)   (c) 
Robin   (Planesticus  migratorius  migratorius)    (a)   Some 

winter  irregularly 
Bluebird  (Sialia  sialis  sialis)  (a) 

Introduced  Species 

Ringnecked  Pheasant  (Phasianus  torquatus)   (d)  Resi- 
dent 

Starling  (Sturnus  vulgaris)  Resident 
English  Sparrow  (Passer  domesticus)  Resident 


Gravestone  Record,  to  1850, 
in  the  old  Cemetery 

Made  by  Mr.  Edward  H.  Wharf 
Mr.  Phillip  L.  Cobb 
Mr.  Stanley  W.  Smith 

Published  in  the  Mayflower  Descendant. 

(An  older  Cemetery,  with  a  few  stones,  and  evident- 
ly unmarked  graves,  existed  on  Franklin  Street,  until 
fifty  years  ago.) 

ALLERTON 

Caroline,  born  7  November  1823,  died  17 
December  1844 

Ruth  H.,  born  20  August  1834,  died  17  De- 
cember 1844 

William  J.,  born  11  July  1840,  died  12  No- 
vember 1840 

Mary  C.,  born  11  July  1840,  died  1  December 
1840 

William  J.,  born  23  April  1843,  died  4  January 
1845 

William  J.,  born  27  July  1848,  died  14  August 
1849 

Six  children  of  William  and  Ruth  C.  on  one 
stone. 


190  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

ATKINS 

Benjamin,  son  of  Benjamin  E.  and  Elizabeth, 

drowned  29  October  1809  in  his  sixteenth 

year 

Benjamin  E.,  died  29  November  1823,  aged  54 
Bethiah,  wife  of  Silas,  died  29  July  1803,  in 

her  36th  year 
David,    drowned    7    March    1828,    aged    24. 

An   affectionate   husband    and    a    tender 

parent 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Benjamin  E.,  died  2  May 

1836,  aged  35 
Elizabeth,    daughter    of    Benjamin    E.    and 

Elizabeth,  died  20  November  1806  aged 

1  year  9  months 
Joshua,  son  of  Silas  and  Bethiah,  died  2  May 

1803  in  his  ninth  year 
Louisa,    daughter   of    Capt.   Jos.    and    Ruth, 

died  16  July  1808  aged  3  years  9  months 
Martha,  daughter  of  Silas  and  Bethiah,  died 

21  January  1803  in  her  10th  year 
Phoebe,  wife  of  Richard  White,  died  5  No- 
vember 1803  aged  18  years  6  months 
Polly,  wife  of  Benjamin  E.,  died  3  May  1816 

aged  37 
Reuben,  son  of  Capt.  Jos.  and  Ruth,  died  8 

August  1808  aged  8 
Sally,  died  20  November  1800,  aged  11  months 

9  days 
ATWOOD 

Barnabas,  lost  at  sea  1834  (This  should  read 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  191 

1838)    aged    28,    (on    stone    with    Isaac 

Paine) 
Bethiah,  relict  of  Capt.  Stephen,  died  27  July 

1807  in  her  72nd  year 

Betsey  R.,  daughter  of  Richard  R.  and  Eliza- 
beth, died  16  April  1843  aged  10 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Richard  R.    died    31   July 

1847,  aged  49  years  and  10  months 
Jeremiah,  born  23  May  1820,  died  3  March 

1857 
Lydia  S.,  born  23  May,  1820  died  10  January 

1827 

(These  two  on  one  stone) 
Stephen,  died  29  September  1745,  in  his  39th 

year 

Stephen  Jr.,  died  5  June  1794,  in  his  24th  year 
Capt.  Stephen,  died  18  December  1802  aged  69 
BACON 

Mary,  wife  of  Isaac,  died  5  August  1727  aged 

27  years  10  months 
Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary,  died  18 

August  1727  aged  3  weeks 
BAKER 

Ruth,   daughter  of  Thatcher,   died    11   June 

1797  aged  6  weeks 
BEALS 

Mrs.  Louvisa,  formerly  of  Edgarton,  died  26 

April  1841  aged  74 
BLAN  CHARD 

Betsey,    wife   of   Ephraim,    died    19   October 

1806  in  her  23d  year 


192  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

BOWLEY 

Asa  Smith,  died  27  December  1802,  aged  30 
Elizabeth,  wife   of  Oliver,  died  Jan.  1,  1844, 

aged  71 
Freeman  M.,  son  of  Sarah,  wife  of  Eleazer 

Young,  died  at  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  23 

July  1818,  aged  17 

(On  the  stone  of  his  mother) 
Hannah,    wife    of  Oliver    deceased,    died    30 

November  1813  in  her  64th  year 
Oliver,  died  30  November  1794,  in  his  47th 

year 
Oliver,  born  27  August  1775,  died  6  January 

1854 

BRYANT 

Polly,  wife  of  George,  died   1  August   1821, 

aged  29 
BURCH 

Huldah  E.,  wife  of  James,  died  20  January 

1847,  aged  32  years,  5  months,  25  days 
BUSH 

Desire,  wife  of  William,  died  11  May  1810  in 
her  48th  year 

C 

R (a  footstone) 

CATON 

Emanuel,  born   13  November  1829,  died  23 

March  1830 
Louisa  A.,  born  9  November  1829,  died   19 

July  1830 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  193 

Mary  A.,  born  11  Feb.  1825,  died  18  July  1830 
(These  two  last  on  one  stone) 

CHAPPELL 

Jeremiah,  son  of  Samuel  and  Tassey,  of  New 
London,  Conn.,  drowned  in  Province- 
town  Harbor,  10  September  1815,  in  his 
32d  year 

COLLINS 

Cynthia,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Mary,  died 

13  May  1832,  aged  18  years  10  months 
Emina,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Emina,  died 

August  1832,  aged  26 
Mary,  wife  of  Reuben,  born  22  June  1783,  died 

10  May  1861 
Reuben,  born  17  July  1779,  died  27  October 

1849 

Reuben,  died  1  June  1798,  aged  25 
Reuben,   son  of  Reuben  and  Mary,    died   5 

October    1817,    aged    1    year   3    months. 

Also  their  six  infant  children 
Richard,  died  18  October  1849,  aged  75 
Richard,  son  of  Richard  and  Emina,  died  27 

July  1808,  aged  5 

CONANT 

Cordelia,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy,  died  3 
February  1828,  aged  7  years  and  2  months 
John,  died  4  June  1809,  in  his  67th  year 
Pattey,  wife  of  John,  died  22  May  in  her  62nd 
year.     (On  the  stone  with  her  husband. 
The  year  not  given) 


194  THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Samuel,  son  of  John  and  Lucy,  died  23  March 

1823,  aged  4  months  23  days 
Simeon  Jr.,  died  28  May  1843,  aged  32 
Capt.  Simeon,  died  26  July  1849,  aged  69 
Susan  A.,  wife  of  Capt.  Simeon,  died  3  July 

1820,  in  her  41st  year 

Susanna,  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Susanna, 
died  29  June  1848,  aged  43  years  8  months 

18  days 
COOK 

Abigail,  wife  of  Elisha,  died   18  April   1800, 

aged  32 
Barzill  S.,  son  of  David  and  Lydia,    aged  6 

months  (On  his  mother's  stone) 
Betsey,  wife  of  Solomon,  died  13  October  1808 

aged  70 
Catherine,   wife  of  Capt.   Solomon,   died    14 

May  1822,  aged  54 
Cornelius,  son  of  Ephraim  and  Rebecca,  died 

19  February  1816,  aged  11  months 
David,  born  30  December  1775,  died  16  June 

1849 
David  Jr.,  son  of  David  and  Lydia,  lost  on 

passage  from  Boston  to  Port  au  Prince,  26 

January  1838,  aged  30.    (On  his  mother's 

stone) 
Emeline,    daughter   of  Jesse   and   Thankful, 

died  14  March  1811,  aged  11  months  22 

days 
Huldah,   wife  of  David,   died   28   December 

1802,  aged  24  years  7  months 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  195 

Lemuel,  son  of  Elisha  and  Abigail,  died  25 

April   1800,  aged  5  months  7  days   (on 

his  mother's  stone) 
Lydia,  wife  of  David,  died  9  April  1812,  aged 

32 
Mary  P.,  widow  of  David,  born  16  November 

1781,  died  22  February  1851 
Nancy,  wife  of  Newcomb,  died  17  February 

1815,  aged  28 

Paran,  died  2  November  1808,  in  his  19th  year 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Solomon,   died    19  August 

1788,  in  her  74th  year 

Ruth,  wife  of  Elisha,  died  3  June  1810,  aged  32 
Solomon,  died  21  November  1781,  in  his  73d 

year 

Solomon,  died  24  July  1819,  in  his  82d  year 
Susanna,  wife  of  David,  born  28  September 

1769,  died  10  August  1839 
COWING 

Desire,  wife  of  John,  died  8  February  1723^4 

in  her  40th  year 

(The  oldest  stone) 
CRAWLEY 

Andrew,  Capt.,  drowned  24  September  1840, 

aged  27^ 
CROSS 

Jonathan  K.,   son   of  Joseph    and    Rhodica, 

died  7  February  1844,  aged  4  months  and 

10  days 
CROWELL 

Catherine,  wife  of  Solomon  Jr.,  died  16  De- 


196  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

cember   1836,  aged  62  (On  the  Crowell 

obelisk) 
David  Francis,  son  of  David  ^nd  Lydia,  died 

28  March  1839,   aged  10  days 
Elisha,  died  26  November  1845,  aged  44  (On 

the  obelisk) 
Eunice  S.,  wife  of  Amaziah,  died  28  August 

1830,  aged  19 
Jane  B.,  wife  of  Amaziah,  died  14  April  1840, 

aged  35 
John  Young,   son  of  Amaziah  and  Jane  B., 

died  4  September  1840,  aged  8  months 

(On  his  mother's  stone) 
Sarah  Jane,   daughter  of  Amaziah,   died   25 

August  1832,  aged  11  months 
Solomon  Jr.,  died  28  March   1815,  aged  45 

(On  the  obelisk) 
Solomon  2nd,  perished  on  a  wreck  14  October 

1825,  aged  20 

CUTTER 

Joanna,  wife  of  Josiah,  died  13  September  1840 
aged  26 

DITSON 

Lawrence  A.,  son  of  James  L.,  and  Rebecca, 
born  11  January  1842,  died  2  July  1842 

Rebecca,  wife  of  James  L.,  born  30  October 
1819,  died  27  January  1853 

Rebecca  A.,  daughter  of  James  L.  and  Rebecca 
born  12  December  1847,  died  5  July  1851 

(These  three  on  one  stone) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  197 

DUNHAM— DONHAM 

Rebecca  P.,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Sally, 

died  5  April  1839,  aged  17 
Nathan,  died  29  September  1850,  aged  61 
Sally,  wife  of  Nathan,  died  20  January  1843, 

aged  50 
DYER 

Deliverance,  widow,  died  28  November  1836, 

in  her  85th  year 
Elijah,   son  of  Elijah  and  Rebecca,  died  26 

April  1826,  aged  18  months 

— ,  infant  son  of  Elijah  and  Rebecca, 

died  1823  (On  the  stone  with  Elijah) 
Eunice  B.,  daughter,  of  Henry  and  Sally,  died 

29  April  1834,   aged  2  years  9  months  14 

days 
Henry  Jr.,  died  22  May  1821,  aged  28  years 

8  months 

Joshua,  died  28  November  1822,  aged  37 
Nehemiah  M.,  son  of  Henry  and  Sally,  died 

6  October  1825,  aged  8  months  4  days 
Pamelia  Ann,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sally, 

died  28  June  1834,  aged  4  years  6  months 
Peggy  S.,  wife  of  William,  died  5  April  1846, 

aged  78 

Sally,  wife  of  Henry,  died  16  July  1847,  aged  46 
William,   killed  by  lightning,    18  June   1819, 

aged  52 
EMERY 

James,  son  of  James  and  Mary  P.,  died  23 

May  1847,  aged  4  years 


198  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Nathan  P.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Almira,  born 

28  September  1856,  died  22  October  1858 
Sarah   M.,   daughter  of  Joseph   and  Almira, 

born  26  October  1845,  died  21  September 

1847 
Also  five  infant  children  of  Joseph  and  Almira 

on  one  stone 
EWELL 

Tryphena,  wife  of  Lyman  Ewell,  also  widow 

of  Andrew  Crawley,  died  13  October  1848 

aged  32 
Mrs.  Tryphena,  daughter  of  Prince  and  Try- 

phene  Freeman,  born  1816,  died  1848  (On 

the  Scammons  Hopkins  obelisk) 

(Two  records  of  the  same  person) 
FAIRBANKS 

Dolly  W.,   daughter  of  David  and  Hannah, 

died  18  March  1828,  aged  2^  years 
five  young  children  of  David  and 

Hannah  buried  between  March  1828  and 

September  1844 
FOSTER 

William  H.,  born  8  September  1838,  died  21 

August  1840 
William  P.,  born   10  October  1843,  died   17 

August  1845 
William  P.,  died   13  January   1862,  aged  50 

years  15  days 
FREEMAN 

Catherine,  wife  of  Charles,  died  16  April  1827, 

aged  40 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  199 

Charles,  died  12  February  1848,  aged  67 
Charles  H.,  son  of  Elisha    and    Phebe,  died 

1  October  1826,  aged  10  months 
Elisha,  died  8  March  1825,  aged  66 
Eliza,  daughter  of  Elisha    and    Phebe,    died 

6  November  1821,  aged  16  months 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Hatsuld,  died  15  December 

1839,  aged  48 

Hatsuld,  died  9  February  1844,  aged  56 
Joseph,  died  14  August  1844,  aged  56^ 
Josiah,  son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe,  died  10 

November  1836,  aged  10  years  6  months 
Also  two  sons  and  two  daughters  of 

Joseph  and  Phebe,  died  in  infancy    (On 

stone  of  their  brother  Josiah) 
Josiah    K.,    son   of   Charles    and    Catherine, 

lost  at  sea  1829,  aged  21  (On  his  father's 

stone) 
Lydia,  wife  of  Elisha,  died  1  April  1821,  aged 

54 
Mary,  daughter  of  Warren  and    Mary,  died 

4  July  1831,  aged  19 
Nabby,  wife  of  Joshua,   died   11  July   1822, 

aged  34 
Nabby,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Nabby,  died 

10  October  1828,  aged  1  month  (Nabby 

the  wife  and  Nabby  the  daughter  are  on 

one  stone.    Evidently  one  date  is  wrong) 
Phebe,  widow  of  Joseph,  died  9  May   1857, 

aged  67  years  6  months 
Prince,  died  12  April  1847,  aged  72 


200 


(Also  on  the  Scammons  Hopkins  obelisk) 
Sally,  wife  of  Elisha,  died  12  July  1824,  aged  38 
Sally  E.,  daughter  of  Hatsuld  and  Elizabeth, 

died  14  February  1825,  aged  10  years  4 

months  15  days 
Tryphena,  wife  of  Prince,   14  February  1842, 

aged  59  (Also  on  the  Scammons  Hopkins 

obelisk) 

Warren,  died  15  December  1827,  aged  56 
Warren  Jr.,  died  16  April  1848,  aged  31  years 

10  months  10  days 
William  W.,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Mercy  K., 

died   27  August    1849,    aged    1    year    10 

months  4  days 
GALACOR 

Mary,  daughter  of  William    and    Mary,    died 

21  April  1802,  aged  5  months  19  days 
William,   son   of  William   and   Mary,   died   5 

November  1800,  aged  11  months  12  days 


GHEN 


GROSS 


Daniel  H.,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel  and  Ann, 
died  17  August  1835,  aged  3  years  1 
month  26  days 

Samuel  A.,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel  and  Ann, 
died  26  July  1835  (Both  on  one  stone) 

Alexander,  1757-1828  (A  Revolutionary  Sol- 
dier) 

Betesy,  died  5  September  1831,  aged  32  years 
(On  the  Crowell  obelisk) 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Micah  and  Elizabeth, 
died  3  April  1786,  aged  7  years 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  201 

Elizabeth   Creed,   wife   of  Alexander,    1767- 

1819  (On  her  husband's  stone) 
Joshua,  son  of  J.  &  B.  lost  at  sea  in  April  1849, 

aged  18  years  (on    the    Crowell  obelisk) 
Solomon  C.,  son  of  J.  &  B.,  lost  at  sea  in  May 

1837,    aged    19    years    (On    the  Crowell 
.  obelisk) 
HANNUM 

Elizabeth    B.,   daughter  of   Charles   A.   and 

Olive  N.,  died  7  April  1845,  aged  2  years 

6  months  22  days 
HARTFORD 

Eliza  N.,  daughter  of  Richard  C.  and  Martha 

M.,  died  25  October  1845,  aged  4  years 

4  months  16  days 
Martha,  daughter  of  Richard  C.  and  Martha 

M.,  died  20  October  1845,  aged  2  years 

6  months  20  days 
HATCH 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Rodolphus,  died  10  October 

1727,  aged  46  years 
HILL 

Caleb  Dyer,  son  of  John  and  Susanna,   died 
29  March  1803,  aged  2  years  3  months  26  days 
John,  son  of  John,  died  from  home,  16  De- 
cember   1814,    aged    26    years    (on    his 

father's  stone) 

John,  died  10  August  1822,  aged  76  years 
Rebecca  N.,  daughter  of  Caleb  D.  and  Par- 

melia,  died  30  June  1833,  aged  3  years 

9  months  9  days 


202  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Susanna,  wife  of  John,  died  18  July  1830, 
aged  74 

HINCKES 

Tempy,  wife  of  Elisha,  died  22  April  1798,  aged 
22  years,  8  months 

HINCKLEY 

Joshua,  died  IS  August  1808,  in  his  32d  year 
Sarah,  wife  of  Allen,  died  7  March  1799,  in 
her  24th  year 

HOLMES 

Saviah,  wife  of  Capt.  Elisha,  died  24  Decem- 
ber 1817,  aged  30  years 

HOPKINS 

James  A.,  lost  at  sea  1836,  aged  26  years 

(On  the  stone  with  Scammons  Hopkins 
who  died  in  1835) 

Mary,  wife  of  Deacon  Jonathan,  died  12 
October  1814,  in  her  58th  year 

Mary,  widow  of  Phineas,  died  27  April  1838, 
aged  52  years 

Nabby,  wife  of  Scammons,  died  23  July  1821, 
aged  52  years  (on  the  stone  with  her 
husband) 

Phineas,  died  19  January  1833,  aged  51  years 

Scammons,  died  15  December  1822,  aged  52 
years     (On  the  stone  with  Nabby) 

Scammons,  died  26  March  1835,  aged  38  years 
(On  the  stone  with  James  A.  Hopkins) 

Scammons,  born  1798,  died  1837.  First  hus- 
band of  Mrs.  Patty  Pierce 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  203 

HOWES 

Abigail,  wife  of  David,  died  31  March  1804, 

in  her  28th  year 

Daniel,  died  28  July  1802,  in  his  26th  year 
Daniel,    son    of   Daniel    and    Polly,    died    29 

August  1802,  aged  10  months  27  days 
Priscilla,  wife  of  Joshua,  died  19  May  1800,  in 

her  22d  year 
Reuben,   son  of  David  and  Abigail,  died  5 

March  1800,  aged  2  years  5  months  10 

days 
Reuben   Orcutt,   son   of  David   and   Abigail, 

died    30    March    1798,    aged    1    year    7 

months  24  days 

JOSEUS 

Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Olive,  born 
30  June  1835,  died  17  January  1836 

KILBORN  or  KILBURN 

Betsey,  the  wife  of  David,  died  16  July  1794, 

aged  28  years 
Betty,  wife  of  Thomas,  died  13  August  1746, 

in  her  20th  year 

Thomas,  died  4  August  1794,  in  his  76th  year 
William,  died  6  November  1785,  in  his  27th 

year 

KINNEY 

Hannah,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah,  died 
6  September  1781,  aged  11  months 

Nehemiah,  son  of  John  and  Hannah,  died  25 
September  1780,  in  his  2nd  year 


204  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

KNOWLES 

Josiah,  born  14  June  1782,  died  25  February 

1850 

Mercy,    widow   of  Josiah,    born    13    October 
1782,    died    8    November    1850    (on    her 
husband's  stone) 
LANCY 

Jane,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Jane,  died 

16  August  1816,  aged  9  years  6  months 
LARRY 

Mrs.  Louis,  died  14  March  1807,  aged  38  years 
MAYO 

Joanna,  wife  of  Joseph,  died  9  October  1822 

in  her  27th  year 

Joshua  A.,  died  25  June  1816,  aged  58  years 
Thomas,  son  of  Joshua  Atkins  and  Martha, 

died  3  December  1807,  in  his  19th  year 
(Five  infant  children  of  Joshua  and  Martha  on 

the  stone  with  Thomas) 
MIERS 

William,    born    1    November    1798,    died    25 

September  1854 
MILLER 

Rebecca,   wife   of  William,   died   20  October 

1795,  in  her  30th  year 
NEWCOMB 

Mrs.  Elizabeth,  died  30  October  1805,  aged 

6;  vears 
NICHOLSON 

Abigail,    wife   of   George,    died    11    February 
1798,  in  her  21st  year 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  205 

Ebenezer,  died  8  December  1792,  in  his  48th 
year 

NICKERSON 

Abigail  C.,  daughter  of  William  and  Abigail  C., 

died  18  August  1804,  aged  14  days 
Abigail  C,  wife  of  William,  died  5  May  1818, 

aged  41  years 
Anna,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Sally,  died  19 

September  1793,  aged  17  months  5  days 
Apphia,  wife  of  Reuben,  died  22  July  1811, 

aged  29  years 
,  son  of  Reuben  and  Apphia,  died 

8  August  1811,  aged  2  months  8  days. 

Her  only  issue       (On  his  mother's  stone) 
Bethiah,  widow  of  Capt.  Isaiah,  died  26  Jan- 
uary 1806,  in  her  24th  year  (On  the  stone 

with  her  husband) 
Bethiah,  widow  of  Jonathan,  died  19  October 

1834,  aged  79  years 
Betsy,  daughter  of  Jonathan    and    Bethiah, 

died  26  October  1805,  in  her  10th  year 
Betsy    Eliza,    daughter    of    Simeon    C.    and 

Sarah,  died  15  December  1837,  aged  10 

months  10  days 

(On  the  stone  with  her  brother  John  W.) 
Ebenezer,  died  15  February  1768,  in  his  71st 

year 
Elijah,   son  of  Elijah   and  Jemima,   died    13 

August  1763,  aged  13  months 


206  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Elijah,   son  of   Elijah   and  Jemima,   died    10 

February  1777,  aged  2  years  9  months 
Elijah,  son  of  Joseph  and  Lucy,  died  6  Octo- 
ber 1800,  aged  13  months  5  days 
Elisha,   son  of  Elijah   and  Jemima,   died    12 

September  1780,  aged   1  year  2  months 
Eliza  S.,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Elizabeth  S., 

born   19  August   1819,  died  28  October 

1832 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Ebenezer,  died  27  February 

1789,  in  her  83d  year 
Mrs.  Elizabeth,  died  24  August  1828,  aged  84 

years 
Hannah,   daughter  of  Seth   and   Mary,   died 

6  February  1772,  aged  12  years 
Hannah,  wife  of  Nehemiah,died26  September 

1846,  aged  69  years  3  months  13  days 
Hannah  K.,  daughter  of  William  and  Abigail 

C.,  died  4  February  1800,  aged  16  months 
Isabella,  wife  of  Seth,  died  3  August  1837,  aged 

85  years 
Isaiah,  Capt.,  drowned  at  Bonavesta  26  May 

1806,  in  his  29th  year  (On  the  stone  of  his 

wife  Bethiah) 
Jemima    Atkins,    daughter    of    the   late    Mr. 

Josiah    and    Ruth,    died    30    September 

1805,  aged  1  year 

John,  died  13  October  1825,  aged  25  years 
John  W.,  son  of  Simeon  and  Sarah,  died  8 

May  1839,  aged  3  years  7  months  (On 

the  stone  with  his  sister  Betsey  E.) 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  207 

Jonathan,   son   of  William   and  Abigail    C., 

died  20  July  1802,  aged  10  months 
Jonathan,  died  17  June  1807,  in  his  53d  year 
Joseph,    son    of   Joseph    and    Lucy,    died    10 

August  1801,  aged  8  days 
Joseph,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sally,  died  31  July 

1808,  aged  15  months  18  days 
Joshua,  died  22  October  1794,  in  his  32d  year 
Josiah,  son  of  Josiah  and  Sally,  died  2  August 

1794,  aged  7  months  3  days 
Linda,  wife  of  Nathaniel,  died  19  August  1819, 

aged    39  (On    the    stone    with    her    son 

Nathaniel,  Jr.) 
Louisa,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Patty,  died 

14  March  1828,  aged  6  months 
Lucy,    wife    of   Joseph,    eldest    daughter    of 

Simeon  Jenkins  of  Barnstable,  died  8th 

September  1801,  in  her  23d  year 
Martha,  widow  of  Seth,  died  28  August  1817, 

aged  82 
Mary,  wife  of  James,  died  15  September  1789, 

aged  19  years 
,   infant   son   of  James   and   Mary, 

(On  the  stone  with  the  Mary  who  died 

1789) 
Mary,  wife  of  James,  died  27  April  1796,  aged 

23  years 
Mary,  wife  of  Josiah,  died  24  January  1799, 

aged  24  years 
Mary  L.,  died  7  March  1823,  aged  7  years 

9  months 


208  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

NICKERSON 

Nabby  Y.,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Linda, 

died  1  August  1808,  aged  7  months  6  days 
Nathaniel,  died  27  July  1823,  aged  48 
Nathaniel  Jr.,  drowned   13   May   1820,  aged 

17  years   8   months   (On  the  stone  with 

Linda,  wife  of  Nathaniel) 
Deacon  Nehemiah,  died  31  January  1804  in 

his  79th  year 

Phebe,  wife  of  Capt.  Elisha,  died  22  Septem- 
ber 1809,  in  her  25th  year 
,    infant    daughter   of    Capt.    Elisha 

and  Phebe,  died  26  November  1809,  aged 

2  months  13  days  (on  its  mother's  stone) 
Phineas,  son  of  Phineas  and  Phebe,  died  23 

July  1800,  aged    2    years  6    months    23 

days 
Sally,  wife  of  Josiah,  died  3  March  1794,  in 

her  21st  year 
Sally,   daughter  of  Seth   and   Isabel,   died   4 

March  1796,  aged  7  years 
Sally,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Mary,  died  28 

November  1798,  aged  20  months 
Sally,    daughter    of   Jonathan    and    Bethiah, 

drowned   1  October   1808,  aged  2  years 

8  months 

Sally,  wife  of  Caleb,  died  30  June  1827,  aged  26 
Salome,  wife  of  Ebenezer,  died  11  June  1804, 

in  her  36th  year 
Sarah,  wife  of  Simeon  C.,  died  5  July  1839, 

aged  28 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  209 

(On  the  stone  with  her  husband) 
Seth,  died  10  September  1789,  in  his  56th  year 
Seth,  died  11  April  1801,  aged  63  years 
Simeon  C.,  lost  at  sea,  in  1837,  aged  28 

(On  the  stone  of  his  wife  Sarah) 
Susanna,  wife  of  Phineas,  died  19  May  1802, 
aged  64  years 

— ,   infant  of  Timothy  and  Mary  H., 
died  3  April  1843 

— ,   infant  of  Timothy  and   Mary  H., 
died  29  April  1844 

infant  of  Timothy   and   Mary  H., 


died  26  October  1851 
(These  three  on  one  stone) 

Uriah,  son  of  Elijah  and  Jemima,  died  24 
October  1788,  aged  12  days 

William,  son  of  William  and  Abigail  C.,  died 
23  September  1796,  aged  14  months 

William,  died  4  January  1817,  aged  45  years 
ORCOTT 

Hannah,  widow  of  Reuben,  died  13  Novem- 
ber 1825,  aged  67 

Reuben,  died  16  September  1814,  in  his  60th 

year 
PAINE 

Abigail,  wife  of  Isaac,  died  6  July  1834,  aged  31 

Elkanah,  son  of  Henry  and  Mercy,  died  10 
October  1803,  aged  4  years  9  months 
14  days 

Enos  N.,  son  of  Lot  and  Olive,  died  20  Novem- 
ber 1832,  aged  11  months  15  days 


210  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Isaac,   son   of  Moses   and   Priscilla,   died    10 

October  1799,  aged  4  years  (on  the  stone 

with  his  sister  Priscilla) 

Isaac,  son  of  Isaac  and  Sylvia,  died  7  Septem- 
ber  1848,   aged    1  month    (On   the   stone 

with  his  brother  Isaac  B.) 
Isaac   B.,    son   of   Isaac   and    Sylvia,    died    7 

August  1848,  aged  2  years  6  months 
Isaac,  died  27  August  1855,  aged  54  years 

(On  the  stone  with  Barnabus  Atwood) 
Capt.  Lot,  died  11  May  1853,  aged  64  years 
Mary,  wife  of  Henry,  died  27  October  1797, 

in  her  31st  year 
Mercy,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mercy,  died 

5  November  1803,  aged  2  years  4  months 

15  days 
Olive,  wife  of  Lot,   died  5   September   1847, 

aged  53  years 
Phineas,  son   of  Isaac   and   Abigail,   died    26 

July  1824,  aged  11  months 
Phineas,   son  of  Isaac   and  Abigail,   died   29 

June  1832,  aged  7  years 
Prissa,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Priscilla,  died 

11   October   1799,   aged  2  years   (On  the 

stone  with  her  brother  Isaac) 
Stephen  H.,   died   15   November   1848,  aged 

21  years  2  months 
Susan  N.,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abigail,  died 

25    December   1834,   aged  6  months  22 

days 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  211 

Mrs.  Sylvia,  died  17  May  1872,  aged  65  years 

9  months  17  days 

PALMER 

William,  died  17  September  1834,  aged  44 

PARK 

Eliza  N.,  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Susanna, 
died  18  June  1844,  aged  7  years  8  months 

Ellen  N.,  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Susanna, 
died  4  January  1845,  aged  3  years  1  month 

10  days 

Susanna,  wife  of  Elisha,  died  14  April  1844, 
aged  32 

PARKER 

Rev.  Samuel,  born  in  Barnstable  18  Novem- 
ber 1740,  died  11  APrif;1812.  The  first 
settled  minister  in  Provincetown.  Was 
ordained  in  Provincetown  in  the  autumn 
of  A.  D.  1769 

Mary,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Samuel,  died  20  No- 
vember 1785,  in  her  32d  year.  Best  of 
wives,  tenderest  of  mothers 

PARRY  or  PERRY 

Rebecca,  wife  of  Richard,  died  29  June  1798, 

in  her  53d  year 

Richard  Jr.,  died  30  April  1805,  aged  31 
Mrs.  Elizabeth,  died  12  January  1812,  in  her 

40th  year 
Richard,  born  6  June  1805,  died  25  November 

1873 


212  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

PARSONS 

John  W.  B.,  son  of  Joshua  and  Ann,  died  30 
August  1856,  aged  2  years  22  days 

Martha  Ellen,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Ann, 
died  20  February  1852,  aged  5  days 

Mary   Jane,    daughter   of  Joshua    and   Ann, 
died   27  August    1850,   aged   22    months 
(These  three  on  one  stone) 
PECK 

Bethiah,  wife  of  Dr.  Stephen,  died  27  Septem- 
ber 1810,  in  her  23d  year 

Dr.  Stephen,  died  1  August  1818,  aged  41  years 

PIERCE 

Patty,  widow  of  Scammons  Hopkins,  of  Wil- 
liam Miers,  and  of  William  Pierce, 
daughter  of  Prince  and  Tryphena  Free- 
man, born  1802,  died  25  December  1864 

William,  3rd  husband  of  Patty,  born  1794, 
died  1860 

(Both  on  the  Scammons  Hopkins  obelisk) 
RICH 

Betsey  A.,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sally, 
died  28  June  1833,  in  her  19th  year 

Solomon  S.,  son  of  Solomon  and  Sally,  lost 
at  sea  in  the  summer  of  1831,  in  his  23d 
year  (On  the  stone  with  his  sister  Betsey) 

Deacon  Solomon,  died  14  January  1855,  aged 
75  years 

Sarah,  wife  of  Deacon  Solomon,  died  9  Aug- 
ust 1846,  in  her  73d  year 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  213 

RIDER  or  RYDER 

Anna,  wife  of  David,  died  1  May  1820,  aged  55 
Atkins,   son   of   Samuel   and   Lydia,    died  19 

August  1794,  aged  16  months 
Benjamin,  died  29  December  1759,  in  his  73d 

year 
Benjamin,  son  of  Samuel  and  Lydia,  died  7 

March  1796,  in  his  5th  year 
Benjamin,  son  of  David  and  Lucy,  died   10 

August  1827,  aged  7  months 
David,  died  1  April  1760  in  his  24th  year 
Deacon  David,  died  12  February  1841,  aged 
79  years  (On  the  stone  with  Capt.  Wil- 
liam) 

Ebenezer,  died  16  March  1809,  aged  74 
Elisha,  son  of  David  and  Anna,  died  21  De- 
cember 1795,  aged  1  year  8  months 
Experience,  wife  of  Samuel,  died  21  December 

1745,  aged  40  years 

Rebecca,  widow  of  Thomas,  died  13  Decem- 
ber 1793,  in  her  54th  year 
Samuel,  died  6  January  1745-6,  aged  45  years 
Sylva,  wife  of  Isaiah,  died  8  January    1823, 

aged  49 

Thomas,  died  8  October  1786,  aged  49  years 
William,  Capt.,  drowned  at  sea  21  September 
1835,    aged    29  years    (on   the    stone    of 
Deacon  David) 

RIDLEY 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas,  died  14  April  1792, 
aged  74 


214  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

ROBERTS 

George  N.,  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Ruth  S., 
born  13  September  1849,  died  13  Septem- 
ber 1850  (On  his  mother's  stone) 

James,  son  of  David  and  Margaret,  died  10 
November  1848,  aged  14  months  7  days 

Ruth  S.,  wife  of  Charles  W.,  born  18  January 
1828,  died  7  August  1850  (On  the  stone 
with  George  N.) 

ROTCH 

Samuel,  son  of  William  and  Mary,  died  22 
May  1736,  in  his  15th  year 

SEARS 

Joseph,  born  27  May  1803,  died  3  October  1853 
Olive   P.,   daughter  of  Joseph   and   Hannah, 
died  7  May  1842,  aged  1  year  9  months 
5  days  (On  the  stone  with  Joseph) 

SMALL 

Heman,  died  24  July  1838,  aged  32  years 
Mehitable,  wife  of    Lot,   died   30  November 

1842,  aged  22 
Polly,  wife  of  Isaac,  died  7  August  1826,  aged 

52 

Samuel,  died  28  April  1856,  aged  84  years 
Thomas,   R.   died    13   March    1839,   aged   25 

years 

SMALLEY 

Betsey,  wife  of  Thomas,  died  12  November 
1803,  in  her  37th  year 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  215 

Hicks,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah,  lost  at  sea 

30  October  1823,  aged  25 
Loiza   W.,    daughter   of   Capt.   Thomas    and 

Hannah,    died    5    April    1807,    aged    7 

months 

-    three    infant    daughters     of    Capt. 

Thomas  and  Betsey  (On  the  stone  with 

Loiza  W.) 
Mary,  wife  of  Taylor,  died  4  January  1815, 

in  her  52d  year 
Sarah,    wife   of   Samuel,   died   26   September 

1830,  aged  52 

Taylor,  died  1  May  1835,  aged  71 
Uriah,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah,  lost  at  sea 

26  July  1824,  aged  20 
(Hicks,  Sarah,  and  Uriah  all  on  one  stone) 


SMITH 


Elizabeth,   wife  of  Seth,   died   25    December 

1803,  in  her  58th  year 
Esther,  wife  of  Ebenezer,  died   14  February 

1823,  aged  33 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Richard  F.,  and  Sally, 

died  29  September  1835,  aged  1  year 
Harriet,   daughter  of  Richard   F.   and   Sally, 

died  11  September  1828,  aged  18  months 

9  days 
Heman  N.,  son  of  Jonah  E.  and  Clarissa,  died 

6  September  1841,  aged  8  months 
Heman  N.,  son  of  Jonah  E.  and  Clarissa,  died 

5  October  1843,  aged  11  months 


216          THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Josiah,  son  of  Jonah  E.  and  Clarissa,  died  12 
August  1839,  aged  13  months 
(These  three  on  one  stone) 
James  Jr.,  died  1  October  1807,  in  his  25th  year 
Lorilla,    daughter   of   Richard    F.    and    Sally, 
died  29  September  1838,  aged  11  months 
Alary,  wife  of  Joshua,  died  21  October  1831, 

aged  41 

Mary,  wife  of  Capt.   Ebenezer,  died  23   De- 
cember 1833,  aged  40 
Ruth,  wife  of  Seth,  died  29  August  1829,  aged 

59 

Seth,  died  17  November  1802,  in  his  60th  year 
Seth,  died  20  July  1835,  aged  64 
Susanna,  wife  of  Edward,  died  20  August  1848 
aged  54  years  9  months 

SOPER 

Betsy,    wife   of  Capt.  Samuel,  died   15  April 

1826,  aged  30  years 
Eben  N.,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel  and  Eveline, 

died  23  September  1836,  aged  2  years  6 

months 
Elisha  H.,  son  of  Capt.    Samuel    and    Betsy, 

died  10  September  1826,  aged  5  months 

12  days 
Eveline  N.,  31  May  1804:  9  October  1900 

,  infant  died  3  November  1818 

Salome    C.,    daughter   of   Capt.    Samuel    and 

Eveline,  died  17  April  1832,  aged  4  years 

4  months 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  217 

Capt.  Samuel,  died  8  December  1860,  aged 
69  years  4  months  (above  all  on  the 
Soper  obelisk) 

Isabel,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Isabel,    died 

17  August  1796,  aged  9  months  8  days 
STONE 

Elizabeth  A.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  and 
Mary,  died  26  June  1816,  aged  13 

John   Andrew,    son    of   Rev.    Nathaniel  and 

Mary,  died  18  April  1813,  aged  9  years 
SWIFT 

Josiah,  son  of  John  and  Lydia,  died  5  Sep- 
tember 1816,  aged   1  year  9  months   15 
days 
TALCOTT 

Capt.   John,   of  Glastonbury,    Conn.,   son  of 
Deacon  Benjamin.    Died  here  on  his  re- 
turn after  the  victory  obtained  at   Cape 
Breton,  A.  D.  1845,  in  his  41st  year 
THOMAS 

Orasmus  Esq.,  born  at  Brookfield,  Mass.  18 
March  1771,  died  at  Provincetown  2 
November  1822 

Orasmus  Jr.,  born  at  Provincetown  17  June 
1808,  died  at  Port  au  Prince  11  January 
1841  (both  on  one  stone) 
TUBES 

Dorcas,  died  11  July  1811,  aged  49 

Nathan,  lost  at  sea,  aged  33 

Nathan  Jr.,  lost  at  sea  11  July  1816  aged  19 

(All  on  one  stone) 


218  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

WALKER 

Jabez,  died  24  December  1798,  aged  19  years 
WATKINS 

Sarah,    widow    of    Capt.    Thomas,    died    27 

August  1831,  aged  77 
Thomas,  died  20  July  1824,  aged  73 
WEEKS 

Ruth,  Mrs.,  daughter  of  Prince  and  Tryphena 
Freeman,  born   1819,  died   1844  (On  the 
Scammons  Hopkins  obelisk) 
Ruth,  wife  of  John  C,  died  27  August  1844, 
aged  25  years.    (Two  records  of  the  same 
person) 
WELLS 

Sarah  H.,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth 
A.,  died  27  August  1849,  aged  7  months 
13  days 
WHORF 

Jonathan  F.,  died  16  November  1820,  in  his 

20th  year 
Sarah  Ann,   wife  of  John   died  9   December 

1791,  in  her  64th  year 
WINSLOW 

James,  lost  at  sea  2  March  1846,  aged  27  years 
Mary  S.,  died  25  October  1892,  aged  72 
YOUNG 

David,  born  7  March  1758,  died  30  October 

1832 
Capt.   David,   born    15    February    1795,   died 

19  September  1872 
Eleazer,  son  of  Eleazer  and  Rebecca,  died  24 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  219 

January  1829,  aged  37  years  2  months 

24  days 
Eleazer,  died  1    January   1832,  aged  72   (On 

stone  with  William  N.) 
Elizabeth,  widow  of  David,  born  17  August 

1764,  died  10  December  1840 
Fanny,  wife  of  Nehemiah,  died  22  December 

1831,  aged  30 
Hannah,  wife  of  David,  died  13  March  1847, 

aged  46)^  years 
Hannah  S.,  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Rebecca, 

died    1    March    1837,    aged    11    years   4 

months 
Isaiah,    son   of   Elisha    and   Hannah,    died   9 

June  1803,  aged  3  years  6  months 
Isaiah,  died  5  September  1815,  aged  34 
Nabby,  wife  of  Reuben,  died  15  April    1794 

in  her  33d  year 
Nehemiah,  died  17  June  1877,  aged  80  years, 

9  months  24  days 
Phebe  H.,  daughter  of  Nehemiah  and  Fanny, 

died  18  December  1822,    aged  6  months. 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Eleazer,  died  18  April  1804, 

in  her  47th  year 
Rebecca,   wife  of  David,   died   8   December 

1849,  aged  57^  years 
Sarah,  wife  of  Eleazer,  died   17  June   1823, 

aged   53   years   (on  stone  with   her  son 

Freeman  M.  Bowley) 
Mrs.  Tamsin,    died    23  January   1887,    aged 

88  years  22  days 


220  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

William  N.,  son  of  Eleazer,  lost  at  sea  1831, 
aged  24  (On  the  stone  of  Eleazer,  who 
died  1832) 


List  of  Teachers  in  the 
Provincetown  High  School 

PRINCIPALS 

1849  —  Freeman  Nickerson 

1852  —  James  Crocker 

1853  —  James  T.  Allen 

1854  —  E.  Albee,  for  seven  weeks 
1854—  Freeman  N.  Blake 

1855  —  Eben  S.  Whittemore 

1856  —  The  school  was  discontinued 

1857  — A.  L.  Putnam 

1858  —  Alexander  Rankin 

1860  —  Isaac  Smith 

1861  —  Harrison  Leland 

1861  —  Albert  Stetson 

1862  —  Edward  B.  McCarty 

1863  —  Henry  Leonard 

1863  —  Samuel  G.  Stone 

1864  —  Solomon  H.  Brackett 

1865  —  Ansel  O.  Burt 

1870  — Henry  F.  Burt 

1871  —  Mr.  Sheldon 

1872  —  Albert  F.  Blaisdell 


222  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

1875  —  A.  G.  Fisher 
1878  — J.  B.  Hingeley 
1882  —  A.  M.  Osgood 
1884— Charles  D.  Seeley 
1884  —  Frank  Wiggin 
1889  —  S.  H.  Baker 
1891  —  W.  M.  McKenzie 
1891  —  W.  H.  Walralf 
1891  —  Ira  Jenkins 
1907  —  Percy  C.  Giles 

1909  —  Charles  P.  Savary 

1910  — A.  L.  Bennett 

1911  — Charles  A.  Sprout 

1911  — M.  F.  Holbrook 

1912  — Alvin  Thomas 
1915  —  Albert  Norris 
1915  — Aubrey  F.  Hills 
1919  — Edith  L.  Bush 
1921  —  William  H.  Winslow 

ASSISTANTS 

C.  A.  Rogers 
Eliza  A.  Cook 
Anna  M.  Kittridge 
Mary  Cook  Johnson 
Lucia  N.  Cook 
Lizzie  Chase 
Sara  A.  Hamlin 
Hattie  F.  Weeks 
Nancy  W.  Paine 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Emma  Baxter 

Lucinda  W.  Whorf 

Alice  Shortle 

Emma  Gardner 

Phoebe  E.  Freeman 

Carra  Wilcox 

Jennie  G.  Freeman 

Isabelle  Gilpatrick 

Ruth  E.  Thomas 

Elizabeth  Moseley 

Martha  E.  Fernald 

Joyce  Bisbee 

Stephen  Fitzgerald 

Penelope  Kern 

Elsie  G.  Moreau 

Porter  G.  Penn 

Kathleen  Donovan 

Sarah  A.  Everett 

Benjamin  Bissell 

Mrs.  Osmond  Cummings  Jr. 

Ann  Featherstone 

Adeline  Wetmore 

Phillip  Skerry 

and  others 


Roster  of  the  Provincetown 
Seminary  1845-6 

Gentlemen's    Department 


Benjamin  D.  Atkins 
Alfred  Adams 
Peter  Avery 
Joseph  Russell  Atkins 
Henry  F.  Baker 
Reuben  L.  Bangs 
Benjamin  Brown 
Paul  L.  Bangs 
Oliver  E.  Bailey 
Elisha  Baker 
William  Bulger 
Benjamin  D.  Crocker 
Atkins  D.  Cook 
Joseph  Cook 
Ephraim  P.  Cook 
Reuben  F.  Cook 
William  Clark 
John  Curren 
E.  Kibbe  Cook 
Benjamin  Coan 


Elisha  W.  Cobb 
Nathaniel  Covell 
Lamuel  Cook 
Benjamin  Crosby 
Oliver  B.  Conant 
Cornelius  Cook 
James  Cashman 
David  R.  Cook 
Phineas  Cutter 
William  T.  Collins 
Elisha  Cook 
Daniel  N.  Clark 
Henry  T.  Dyer 
Atkins  Dyer 
William  L.  Dyer 
Amasa  Dyer 
William  T.  Dutton 
Nehemiah  M.  Dyer 
James  S.  Dyer 
John  Evans 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


225 


John  L.  Eldridge 
Oren  R.  Dunham 
James  C.  Dunham 
Thomas  Watkins  Dyer 
Nathan  D.  Freeman 
Francis  C.  Freeman 
Ezra  Freeman 
Augustus  M.  Freeman 
Jesse  Freeman 
Asa  A.  Franzen 
Nathaniel  Freeman 
Samuel  H.  Ghen 
John  M.  Gill 
Henry  S.  Ghen 
Alexander  Galer 
E.  Henry  Harvender 
N.  P.  Holmes 
James  M.  Holmes 
James  Hopkins 
Solomon  Higgins 
Haskell  P.  Higgins 
James  Kenyon 
John  W.  Lovejoy 
Phillip  Lovejoy 
Albert  W.  Lavender 
John  R.  Lavender 
Joseph  A.  Lavender 
Edmund  B.  Lord 
Henry  J.  Lancy 
Phillip  C.  Lewis 
Atwood  Mott 


Silas  Mott 
H.  S.  Miller 
Francis  C.  Miller 
Charles  E.  Morgan 
George  W.  Nickerson 
Solomon  D.  Nickerson 
Joshua  Nickerson 
Charles  W.  Nickerson 
Amos  Nickerson 
Stephen  T.  Nickerson 
Solomon  Newcomb 
James  Nickerson 
Richard  Elliot  Nickerson 
Jesse  Nickerson 
Frederic  W.  Proctor 
Abner  L.  Pettis 
Lysander  N.  Paine 
Henry  Paine 
Michael  A.  Parker 
Xenophon  Rich 
James  N.  Rich 
David  Ryder 
William  T.  Ryder 
Benjamin  Ryder,  Jr. 
Thomas  Ryder 
Henry  Ryder 
Reuben  C.  Small 
Abram  Small 
Alexander  Small 
Uriah  Small 
George  O.  Smith 


226 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Freeman  A.  Smith 
James  H.  Small 
Benjamin  F.  Small 
Samuel  C.  Small 
Ebenezer  A.  Shed 
Zenas  Snow 
Henry  A.  F.  F.  Smith 
J.  D.  P.  Small 
Samuel  T.  Soper 
Richard  R.  Small 
Robert  Soper 
Joseph  Swasey 
Gamaliel  Smith 
B.  H.  Small 
Thomas  D.  Smith 
Phillip  R.  Smith 
William  H.  Sprague 
Jesse  E.  Smith 
Samuel  G.  Smith 


Josiah  F.  Small 
Joshua  P.  Small 
Taylor  Small 
John  T.  Small 
George  Thatcher 
William  R.  Taylor 
Michael  Turben 
Benjamin  Turner 
Andrew  T.  Williams 
Richard  S.  White 
Eliphat  Whilding 
Nicholas  White 
Edward  Q.  Weeks 
Enos  N.  Young 
Newcomb  C.  Young 
Elisha  T.  Young 
John  W.  Young 
Charles  A.  Young 
Eleazer  Young 


Ladies'  Department 


Hannah  W.  Atkins 
Sarah  E.  Atkins 
Clarissa  A.  Atwood 
Sarah  Maria  Adams 
Ruhamah  H.  Atkins 
Olive  Atkins 
Nancy  Avery 
Mary  N.  Adams 
Betsey  K.  Bowley 


Euphemia  Brown 
Mary  H.  Baker 
Maria  O.  Crocker 
Naomi  B.  Cook 
Phoebe  W.  Cook 
Mercy  F.  Crosby 
Martha  W.  Cook 
Rebecca  Cook 
Mary  A.  Cayton 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


227 


Ann  Gross  Cook 
Martha  A.  Collins 
Phoebe  N.  Cook 
Elizabeth  Cook 
Rebecca  Cook 
Phoebe  A.  Cook 
Sarah  L.  Cook 
Sarah  M.  Dyer 
Eunice  B.  Dyer 
Parmelia  Ann  Dyer 
Malintha  Dyer 
S.  Maria  Dyer 
Betsey  E.  Dyer 
Thankful  Dyer 
Susan  R.  Eldridge 
Eliza  A.  Freeman 
Cynthia  Freeman 
Phoebe  Freeman 
Abigail  Freeman 
Eunice  Gross 
Savina  Galagher 
Sarah  H.  Ghen 
Martha  A.  Holmes 
Malvina  C.  Higgins 
Rebecca  A.  Higgins 
Abigail  H.  Howes 
Caroline  Howard 
Bethia  Higgins 
Aseneth  Howe 
Almira  G.  Hudson 
Mary  B.  Hilliard 


Adeline  C.  Hilliard 
Paulina  B.  Hilliard 
Deborah  Harvender 
Matilda  A.  Harvender 
Hannah  Hill 
Mary  C.  Johnson 
Martha  A.  Johnson 
Susan  M.  Kelley 
Adeline  E.  Lovejoy 
Sabra  C.  Lewis 
Aphia  C.  Nickerson 
Rebecca  F.  Nickerson 
Lucy  M.  Nickerson 
Ellen  Nickerson 
Melvina  F.  Nickerson 
Louisa  A.  Nickerson 
Sarah  Newcomb 
Miranda  J.  Nickerson 
Sarah  G.  Peterson 
Belinda  N.  Pettingill 
Fanny  Roxanna  Paine 
Martha  A.  Pettis 
Rebecca  Pierce 
Sarah  Parks 
Rebecca  R.  Ridley 
Hannah  W.  Rich 
Mary  Rich 
Betsey  N.  Ryder 
Rebecca  Ryder 
Ruth  C.  Ryder 
Mary  A.  Ryder 


228  THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Hannah  N.  Small  Lucinda  H.  Smith 

Mary  S.  N.  Small  Delia  Ann  Smith 

Ann  S.  Small  Augusta  Small 

Emily  J.  Shed  Betsey  C.  Small 

Harriet  N.  Small  Abigail  Small 

Esther  T.  Small  Hannah  Thatcher 

Sarah  Small  Harriet  B.  Thomas 

Salome  C.  Soper  Electa  A.  Whitney 

Elizabeth  T.  Small  Henrietta  L.  Whitney 

Mary  Joan  Smith  Harriet  N.  White 

Jane  C.  Small  Abigail  F.  Weeks 

M.  E.  Smith  Harriet  M.  Young 

Dorinda  Young 


List  of  Provincetown 
Whalers 

From  History  of  American  Whale  Fishing,  by 
Alexander  Starbuck 


Name 

Laurel 

Margaret 

Minerva 

Nero 

Neptune 

Sophronia 

Cora 

Charles 

President 

Unitaro 

Vesta 

Four  Brothers 
General  Jackson 
Hannah  and  Eliza 
Mary 


Captains 
1820 
Cook 
Atwood 
Soper 
Smalley 
Cook 
Smith,  Ryder 

1821 

Grozier 
Soper 

Holmes 
1822 

Atkins 

Cook 

Cook 


Agents 


230           THE 

PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Name 

Captains 

Agents 

Olive  Branch 

Cook 

Seventh  Son 

Cook 
1823 

Ardent 

Soper 
1831 

Fair  Play 

1834 

Imogene 

Smalley 
Atkins 
1836 

James  Smalley 

Louisa 

Tilson,  Cook, 
Young,  Ryder 
1840 

Fairy 
Franklin 

Ginn,  Cook,   Abraham  Small 
Soper 
Soper,              Robert  Soper 
Nickerson, 
O.  W.  Allerton 

Phoenix 

Small 
Puffer 
1841 

Leonard  Small 

Belle  Isle 
Gem 

Cook 
Smith 
Howard 
Turner 
Nye 
Fluker 
Nickerson 

Eben  Cook 
Timothy  P.  Job 

THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  231 

Name  Captains  Agents 

John  B.  Dods  Prior,  Ghen    E.  S.  Smith 

Winslow 
Spartan  James  Small  Stephen  Nickerson 

Cook 
Samuel  and  Thomas  Soper,  Swift  Samuel  Soper 

Nickerson 

Swift 
William  Henry  Ryder  Godfrey  Ryder 

Cook,  Chase 


Amazon 
Carter  Braxton 
Joshua  Brown 
Pacific 

Louisa  Handy 


Edwin 

Esquimaux 

Medford 

Rienzin 


Stranger 


1842 

Cook 

Sparks  Joseph  Atkins 

Small,  Ghen  Seth  Nickerson 

Cook,  Tilson  Stephen  Cook  Jr., 

Perry  D.  Small 

Cook,  Handy 

Ryder 


1844 
Cook 
Cook 
Cook,  Dyer 
Ryder 
Cook,  Snow 
Joseph,  Caton 
Miliken,  Goodspeed 


Parker  Cook 


232 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Name 

Cadmus 
Counsel 

Carter  Braxton 
Grand  Island 
Jane  Howes 

John  Adams 


Outesie 
Parker  Cook 
Tarquin 

Samuel  Cook 


Allstrum 
Chanticleer 

E.  R.  Cook 


Captains 
1845 

Soper 

Nickerson 

Ghen 

Higgins 

Martin 

Cook 

Bowley 

Nickerson 

Doyle 

Higgins 

Freeman 

Burch 

Doyle 

Ghen 

Chapman 

Smith,  Cook 

Sparks 

1846 
Cook 
Handy 

1849 

Ghenn 

Cook,  Young 

Dyer 

Cook 

Higgins 

Cornell 

Nickerson 


Agents 


Samuel  Soper 

Samuel  Cook, 
Howe  &  Lord 
J.  Adams 
S.  Cook 


R.  L.  Thatcher 


C.  U.  Grozier 
H.  Sparks 
S.  Cook 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Name  Captains  Agents 


Robert  Raikes 
Sam  Cook 
Shylock 


233 


Swift  Ephraim  Cook 

Atson,  Smith 

Hersey 

Green 


A.  Nickerson 

C.  Allstrum 
E.  Nickerson 


Harriet  Neal 
H.  N.  Williams 


Jane  Howes 
John  Adams 
Lewis  Bruce 
Medford 
R.  E.  Cook 


Rienzi 

Shylock 

Union 


1850 

Sparks 

Cornell 

Snow 

Nickerson 

Ryder 

Soper 

Pettingill 

Bush,  Ryder 

Fisher 

Joseph 

Young 

Young 

Freeman 

Young 

Dyer 

Cook 

Nickerson 

Tilson 

Iverson 

Hersey 

Smith 


J.  H.  Hilliard 

J.  Adams 
Enoch  Nickerson 


R.  L.  Thatcher 
Phillip  Cook 


J.  E.  Bowley 
John  Adams 
B.  Allstrum 
Ephraim  Cook 
John  Dunlap 


J.  E.  Bowley 
Nathaniel  Holmes 
Jonathan  Nickerson 


234  THE 

Name 

Vesta 
Virginia 
Walter  Irving 


Walter  K. 


Willis  Putnam 


Alexander 


PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Antartic 


Hanover 
Preston 

Sea  Shell 


Captains 


Agents 


Rich  Phillip  Rich 

Morton  Winsor  Snow 

Nickerson       Atkins  Nickerson 

Small,  Paine 

Holmes 

Atkins,  Law 

Tillson  Henry  Cook 

Heath 

Ghen 

Foster  E.  S.  Smith 


1851 

Young 

Cook 

Nickerson 

Dunham 

Rich 

Carlo  w 

Hopkins 

Howard 

Snow,  Costa 

Young,  Hill 

Bell,  West 

Johnson 

Holmes 

Handy 

Smith 

Cook 


B.  Allstrum,  John- 
son &  Cook 


J.  E.  Bowley 


T.  Hilliard 
Samuel  Cook 

E.  Cook 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 


235 


Name 
Eschol  (Truro 


Alleghany 


Captains         Agents 


F.  Bunchina 
Germ  (Truro) 

S. R.  Soper 


Montezuma 


Mountain  Spring 
Richard 
Seychelle 
Waldron  Holmes 


Smith 

Nickerson 

Miller 

1852 


Richard  Stevens 
Hannum  &  Co. 
Robert  M.  Miller 


Enoch  Nickerson 
Daniel  C.  Cook 


Cook 

Young 

Nickerson 

Dyer 

Graham 

Fisher,  Snow 

Francis  B. 

Tuck 

Rich  Richard  Stevens 

Goodspeed 
Ryan 

Soper,  Cook   S.  Soper 
Abbott 
Needham 
Eldridge 

1853 

Freeman         T.  Hilliard 

Chapman 

Curren,  Nye 

Young  J.  E.  Bowley 

Young 


Young 
Holmes 


Allstrum  and 
Holmes 


236 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Name 

Captains                      Agents 

M.  King 

Pettingill         Thatcher,  Cook  &  Co. 

1856 

Acorn 

Puffer              Nickerson  &  Tuck 

J.  H.  Duvall 

Young             J.  E.  &  G.  Bowley 

Olive  Clark 

Tribble             S.  Soper 

Martyne 

Tucks,  Sparks 

Dyer,  Atkins 

V.  Doane 

Cook,  Dyer    H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 

1857 

Emporium 

Cook               D.  C.  Cook 

Curren 

Caton,  Leach 

Dyer 

Chandler 

Young 

Downer 

E.  Nickerson 

John                 Samuel  Soper 

Pettingill 

Estella 

Chapman        J.  E.  &  G.  Bowley 

Snow,  Higgins 

Montezuma 

Chapman        T.  &  S.  Hilliard 

N.  J.  Knights 

Sparks             D.  Conwell 

Dyer 

Foster 

Oriad 

Bannister        E.  S.  Smith  &  Co. 

Panama 

Rich                 John  Adams 

George  Powe 

Thriver 

Leonard           S.  Small 

Small 

THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 


237 


Name 

Captains 

Agents 

V.  H.  Hill 

Freeman 
Cornell 
Small 

E.  &  G.  Bowley 

1858 

Metropolis 
Oneco 
Oread 

Graham 
Herrick 
Farwell 
Young 

E.  S.  Smith  &  Co, 

Civilian 
Mermaid 

Weather  Gage 
Arizona 


Courser 

E.  H.  Hatfield 


E.  Gerry 


1860 
Burch 
Robert  S.  R.  Soper 

Soper,  Jr. 
S.  C.  Small     H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 


1861 
Cook 

Goodspeed 
John  Bell 
Higgins 
White 
Young 
Cook,  Small 
Rich,  Keith 
Burch 
Freeman 
Kirkconnell 
Small 
Remington 
Dunham 


Stephen  Cook 


H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 
E.  &  E.  K.  Cook 
&Co. 


Taylor 


238 
Name 


G.  W.  Lewis 
Quickstep 


William  Martin 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Captains  Agents 

Smith,  Emery 

Fisher 

Holmes  E.  &  E.  K.  Cook 

&  Co. 

Cook,  E.  &  E.  K.  Cook 

Ryder  &  Co. 

Thompson 
Burch,  Manley 
Chas.  Marston 

Martin  Heman  Smith 


1862 

Abbie  H.  Brown 

Higgins 
Ewell 

C.  L.  Sparks 

Sparks 
Roberts 

Atwood 

Courser 

Silas  S. 

Young 

Ellen  Rizpah 

Smith 
Taylor 
Dunham 

Rising  Sun 

Young 
Taylor 
Clark 

Freeman 

Stevenson 

Gonsaloes 

Sparks 

(Orleans) 
E.  &  E.  K.  Cook 

D.  Conwell 

H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 
Stephen  Cook  &  Co. 

E.  S.  Smith  &  Co. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 


239 


Name 

Captains              Agents 

Watchman 

Tillson,           Jesse  Cook 

Stidd 

J.  E.  Cook 

1863 

E.  B.  Conwell 

Kilborn           D.  Conwell 

Marshall 

Cannon 

Cook 

Sassacus 

Ryder              E.  &  E.  K. 

Cook 

Freeman 

Leach 

Nickerson 

Nickerson 

1865 

Mary  Curren 

Curren            Freeman  & 

Hilliard 

Farwell 

Fisher 

Nye,  Taylor 

Nye,  Taylor 

M.  E.  Simmons 

Cook               E.  &  E.  K. 

Cook 

Parsons 

1866 

A.  L.  Putnam 

Handy            H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 

Alcyone 

Dyer,  Smith  E.  &  E.  K. 

Cook& 

Hudson               Co. 

A.  Clifford 

Brown             H.  &  S.  Cook  &  Co. 

Baldwin 

Dyer 

240  THE 

Name 

Allegro 

Ada  M.  Dyer 

B.  T.  Crocker 
Cetacean 

C.  H.  Cook 

E.  P.  Howard 
G.  W.  Lewis 
J.  Taylor 
John  A.  Lewis 
W.  A.  Grozier 

Winged  Racer 
L.  P.  Simmons 

Albert  Clarence 


PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Captains 

Ryder 
Isaac  Dyer 

Chandler 
Nathaniel 
Atwood 
Atkins 
Cook 
Gelett 
Crowell 
Hudson 

Carlow 
Atkins 
Smith 


Agents 

James  Rich 
Alfred  Cook 
John  Atwood  &  Co. 
A.  T.  Williams 


Stephen  Cook 


E.  &  E.  K.  Cook  & 

Co. 
C.  H.  Rich 


John  Atwood 

Jr.  &  Co. 
Lewis  Chap-  B.  A.  Lewis  &  Co. 

man 

Moses  E.  S.  Smith  &  Co. 

Young 
Roberts 
John  Dunham 
Xenophon       David  Conwell 

Rich 
Graham 
Cornell 
Atkins 

1867 
Small  J.  Freeman 


THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


241 


Name 

Captains 

Agents 

Alice  B.  Dyer 

James  S. 

David  Conwell 

Dyer 

Tripp 

Carrie  Jones 

Connell 

J.  &  G.  Bowley 

D.  C.  Smith 

Kenny 

John  Atwood 

Emma  F.  Lewis 

George  W. 

B.  A.  Lewis  &  Co. 

Powe 

Etta  G.  Fogg 

Thompson 

E.  &  E.  K.  Cook  & 

Co. 

Express 

Cook 

E.  &  E.  K.  Cook  & 

Atkins 

Co. 

Gage  Phillips 


J.  M.  Collins 

Joseph  Lindsey 
Mary  D.  Leach 

O.  M.  Remington 

S.  A.  Paine 
Willie  Irving 

Allie  B.  Dyer 


Merithew 

Taylor  S.  Coko 

Cook 

Nickerson 

Dyer 

Marston 

Ira  B.  Atkins  David  A.  Small 

Ryder 

Ryder  James  Rich 

W.  A.  Leach  Union  Wharf  Co. 

Atwood 

William  Union  Wharf  Co. 

Remington 

Curren  Freeman  &  Hilliard 

White  C.  H.  Cook 

1868 
Orlando  J. 

Tripp 


242  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

Name  Captains  Agents 

B.  F.  Sparks  Cook  Stephen  Cook 

Goodspeed 

Bell,  Ewell 

Carrie  W.  Clark         William  Atkins  Nickerson 

Clark,  Jr. 

Dyer 

Marshall 

Charles  A.  Higgins    N.  Y.  Hig-      Union  Wharf  Co. 
gins 

Josias  Ryder  David  A.  Small 

Curren 

Winslow 

Rose 

Stidd  Joshua  Lewis 

John  S.  Union  Wharf  Co. 

Smith 

Josias  Cook    B.  A.  Lewis 

Dunham         J.  &  G.  Bowley 


D.  A.  Small 


G.  W.  Lewis 

Grace  Lothrop 

Lizzie  J.  Biglow 
L.  P.  Simmons 


Mary  E.  Nason 
N.  F.  Putnam 


Agate 


1868 

H.  Sparks        David  Conwell 
Dyer 


H.  &  S.  Cook 


1869 


Benjamin        William  A.  Atkins 

Atkins 
Rich,  Days 
Winslow 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  243 

Name  Captains  Agents 

1870 

Gracie  M.  Parker      Isaac  Dyer     Alfred  Cook 
Chas.  Mars- 
ton 

1872 

Alyceone  Ewell  E.  &  E.  K.  Cook  & 

Co. 
John  Atwood  Mello  E.  E.  Small 

Stevenson 

Fisher 

1875 

Edward  Lee  Aseph  At-       Aseph  Atkin 

kins 
Lottie  E.  Cook  Benjamin        W.  A.  Atkins 

Sparks 
Isaac  Dyer 

Charles  Thompson    Leach  S.  S.  Swift 

Amasa  Dyer 

1880 
Crown  Point  Fisher 

1881 
Bloomer  Smith,  Rose 

1885 

Baltic  Fisher,  Dyer 

Marston 
Gonsaleos 


244 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 


Name  Captains 

1888 

Carrie  D.  Knowles    Charles 

Marston 
Stevenson 
Stevenson 
Nichols 


Agents 


Joseph  A.  Manta 


Ellen  A.  Swift 


John  R.  Manta 


1889 

Fratus 

Manley 

Rose 

1893 

Emmons  Dyer 
Gibbons 

Mandley 
Dunham 

1905 

Smith 
Mandley 
Garcia 
Garcia 
Luis,  Santos 


List  of  Dates 


1000    A.  D.     Visit  of  the  Norsemen. 

1529  Map  of  the  New  World,  with  Cape  Cod  distinctly 
outlined. 

1602  Visit  of  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  who  gave  the 
name  Cape  Cod. 

1605     Visit  of  Champlain. 

1614  Visit  of  Captain  John  Smith,  who  said  that  of 
all  the  places  he  had  ever  visited,  not  in- 
habited, he  would  rather  live  here. 

1620  November  11  O.  S.  Arrival  of  the  Mayflower 
and  the  Signing  of  the  Compact. 

1620  December.     Birth  of  Peregrine  White,  drown- 

ing of  Dorothy  Bradford,  death  of  Jasper 
More,  James  Chilton  and  Edward  Thomp- 
son. 

1621  Arrival  of  the  Fortune.     Indian  runners  carried 

the  news  to  Plymouth. 
1651     William  Bradford  added  to  the  other  lessees  of 

the  fisheries  of  Cape  Cod. 
1668     These  lands  were  voted  to  be  within  the  Con- 

stablrick  of  Eastham. 
1670     The  General  Court  passed  the  following. 

"Whereas  the  Providence  of  God  hath  made 

Cape   Cod   commodious    to   us   for   fishing 

with   seines,"   therefore   a   duty  of  twelve 


246  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

shillings  per  barrel  was  imposed  upon  mack- 
erel and  bass. 

1670  Laws    prevented    the    taking    of   fish    at    times 

previous  to  spawning. 

1671  "Prince    and    Bosworth    petitioned    the    Right 

Honored  Massachusetts  and  Deputies  of 
the  General  Court  of  New  Plimouth,  now 
sitting,  relating  to  the  mackerel  fishery." 

1671  Thomas  Prince  appointed  Water  Baliff,  to  have 
charge  of  the  fisheries  of  Cape  Cod. 

1673  The  revenue  of  the  fisheries  on  Cape  Cod 
granted  for  the  support  of  a  free  public 
school. 

1680  Cornet  Robert  Stetson  of  Scituate,  and  Nathan- 
iel Thomas  of  Marshfield  hired  the  Cape 
fisheries  for  bass  and  mackerel. 

1684  The  Cape  fisheries  were  leased  to  Mr.  William 

Clark  for  seven  years  at  £30  per  annum. 

1685  Barnstable  County  incorporated,  one  of  the  three 

first  counties. 

1689  It  was  ordered   that  the  magistrates  of  Barn- 

stable  County  dispose  of  and  manage  the 
fisheries. 

1690  The  General  Court  voted  to  pay  Major  William 

Bradford  the  sum  of  £55  for  the  release  of 
his  title  to  lands  bought  at  the  Cape  of  the 
Indians. 

1690  Icabod  Paddock  went  to  Nantucket  to  instruct 
the  whalemen  there  in  his  method  of  taking 
whales. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK  247 

1696  April  1st.  Earliest  recorded  birth,  Ephraim 
Doane. 

1714     Cape  Cod  a  precinct  of  Truro. 

1717  The  General  Court  granted  £150  toward  the 
expense  of  a  meeting-house. 

1720  A  road  forty  feet  wide  was  laid  out  from  East- 
ham  to  and  through  the  Province  Lands. 
— The  King's  Highway. 

1724  April  29th.  The  first  entry  in  the  treasurer's 
book.  "Precinct  of  Cape  Cod  to  John 
Traill  Dr.  Cash  paid  Mr.  Samuel  Spear 
for  his  salary  10s."  Mr.  Spear  was  a 
minister  who  preached  here. 

1724  The  oldest  recorded  death,  Desire  Cowing. 
Her  grave  is  in  the  old  cemetery,  near  the 
entrance. 

1727  We  were  incorporated  as  a  township  under  the 
name  of  Provincetown. 

1731  The  records  of  the  town  began  to  be  regularly 
kept. 

1737  Provincetown  fitted  out  twelve  ships  for  whaling 
in  Davis  Straits.  This  took  all  the  men 
in  town  but  about  a  dozen. 

1739  From  the  Boston  Postboy — "We  have  advice 
from  Provincetown  Cape  Cod,  lamenting 
the  small  number  of  whales  taken  in  the 
harbor  during  the  winter,  not  more  than 
seven  or  eight.  Seven  or  eight  families, 
among  whom  are  the  principal  inhabitants, 
design  to  move  to  Casco  Bay  in  the  spring." 

1774    Rev.  Samuel  Parker  installed. 


248  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

1776  The  town  was  called  upon  to  furnish  goods  for 
the  Continental  Army.  A  ship  of  the 
enemy,  laden  with  army  supplies  came 
ashore  on  the  Backside.  This  event  was 
called  "A  Providence  of  God." 

1778  The  wreck  of  the  Somerset.  Her  guns  were 
used  for  fortifications. 

Note.  Not  many  people  in  Provincetown  are  members 
of  Revolutionary  Societies.  During  the 
Revolutionary  War,  five  hundred  English 
ships  were  captured  by  Yankee  privateers, 
it  is  easy  to  see  why  few  Provincetown 
names  appear  on  the  records. 

1789  The  General  Court  granted  a  bounty  of  five 
cents  a  quintal  on  dried  fish  or  on  a  barrel 
of  pickled  fish,  exported. 

1792  Congress  gave  a  bounty  of  a  dollar  a  ton,  or  a 

little  more,  depending  on  the  size,  to  vessels 
going  cod-fishing  four  months  in  a  year, 
three-eighths  to  the  owners  and  five-eighths 
to  the  crew. 

1793  The  White  Oak  meeting-house  built. 

1795  The  first  Methodist  meeting-house  built. 

1796  King  Hiram's  Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  instituted 

with  a  charter  signed  by  Paul  Revere. 
The  Mason  House  built. 

1797  Highland  Light  built. 

1797  About  the  time  of  the  death  of  Jesse  Holbrook 
of  Wellfleet,  the  famous  whaler  who  killed 
on  one  voyage  fifty-seven  sperm  whales. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK          249 

A  London  Company  employed  him  for 
twelve  years  to  teach  their  men  his  art. 

1801  Town  schools  closed  on  account  of  an  epidemic 

of  small-pox. 

1802  Feb.  22.     A  great  storm  in  which  three  East 

India  ships  belonging  to  the  Crowning- 
shields  of  Salem,  were  wrecked  on  the  Back- 
side. 

1811     Death  of  Rev.  Samuel  Parker. 

1816     Light  house  at  Race  Point  built. 

1822  Birth  of  Prince  Freeman,  said  to  be  the  first 
child  born  on  the  Point. 

1826     Lighthouse  built  on  the  Point. 

1828  Six  district  schoolhouses  built. 

1829  The    Christian    Union    Society    (Universalist) 

built  a  meeting-house. 

1829  A  fire  and  marine  insurance  company  was  or- 

ganized. 

1830  The  first  wharf  was  built. 

1835  The  county  road  was  laid  out  through  town. 

1836  The  first  fire  engine  was  bought. 
1838     The  sidewalk  was  built. 

1838     2,686  barrels  of  mackerel  were  inspected. 
1840     A    thousand    men    were    engaged    in    cod    and 
mackerel  catching. 

1842  The  Steamer  Express,  the  first  steam  packet  to 

Boston. 

1843  The  Pilgrim  Church  was  built. 

1844  The  three  new  schoolhouses  built. 

1845  Nov.  21.     Marine  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  in- 

stituted. 


250 

1845     The  jail  was  built. 

1847  Universalist  Church  was  built. 

1848  The  second  Methodist  church  bought   the  Uni- 

versalist   Meeting-house    and     named     it 

Wesley  Chapel. 

1851     Seamen's  Savings  Bank  was  instituted. 
1854     Provincetown  National  Bank  was  organized. 
1854     Town    Hall    and    High    School    building    was 

erected. 
1854     Commonwealth  again  recorded  its  ownership  of 

the  Province  Lands. 

1854     A  bridge  over  East  Harbor  was  built. 
1860     Center  Methodist  church  was  built. 
1863     The  Sons  of  Temperance  at  their  last  meeting 

give  3300  as  a  nucleus  of  a  public  library. 
1866     Centenary  Methodist  church  was  built. 

1869  A  dyke  was  built  across  East  Harbor. 

1870  The  present  Town  Home  was  built. 

1872  Wood  End  Light  was  built. 

1873  Railroad  was  opened  for  traffic. 

1873  Bradford  street  was  widened  and  extended. 

1874  The  Life  Saving  Service  was  established. 
1874     The  Catholic  church  was  built. 

1874     46,173  barrels  of  mackerel  were  packed. 

1874     The  Public  Library  was  opened. 

1877     The  Town  House  and  High  School  building  was 

burned. 
1880     The  new  High  and  Grammar  School  building 

was  built. 
1882     Seamen's  Relief  Association  was  organized. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  251 

1885  The  capital  invested  in  fishing  business,  3964,573. 

1889  The  new  Town  Hall  was  dedicated. 

1898  The  Portland  gale. 

1907  Cornerstone  of  the  Monument  was  laid. 

1908  Centenary  church  was  burned. 

1909  New  Centenary  chapel  was  dedicated. 

1910  The  Monument  was  dedicated. 
1920  The  Tercentenary  Celebration. 


List  of  Books 


Governor  Bradford's  History  of  Plymouth  Plantations, 

for  sale  at  the  State  House,  Boston,  Price  31-00 
Mourt's  Relations — 

at  the  Advocate  Shop,  price  $.25 
Freeman's  History  of  Cape  Cod.     1858 

The  chapter  on  Provincetown  was  written  largely 
by  Mr.  Elisha  Dyer,  for  twenty-seven  years 
town  clerk. 

For  reference  at  the  Public  Library. 
History  of  Barnstable  County,  Deyo. 

The  chapter  on  Provincetown  was  written  by  the 
late  Judge  James  Hughes  Hopkins. 

For  reference  at  the  Public  Library. 
Shebnah  Rich's  History  of  Truro — 

Full  of  anecdotes,  tradition,  genealogy. 

For  reference  at  the  Public  Library. 
Cape  Cod,  by  Henry  D.  Thoreau. 
Old  Cape  Cod — The  Land,  the  Men,  the  Sea, 

by  Mary  Rogers  Bangs. 
Maritime  History  of  Massachusetts — 

by  Samuel  Eliot  Morison. 
The  Pilgrims  and  Their  Monument — 

by  Edmund  J.  Carpenter.  Containing  the  address 
of  Charles  W.  Eliot,  delivered  at  the  Dedication 
of  the  Monument. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  253 

Foot  Path  Ways — 

by  Bradford  Torrey,  containing  a  delightful  essay 
on  Long  Nook. 

Heroes  of  the  Storm — The  Life-Savers  of  Cape  Cod, 
by  J.  W.  Dalton. 

The  Seabeach  at  Ebb  Tide 

by  Augusta  Foote  Arnold. 
Life  on  the  Sea  Shore 

by  J.  H.  Emerton. 
Seaside  Studies  in  Natural  History 

by  Mrs.  Agassiz. 
Sea  Shore  Life 

by  Alfred  G.  Mayer. 
Sea  Shells  of  Land  and  Water 

by  Frank  Collins  Baker. 
Sea  Mosses 

by  A.  B.  Hervey. 
The  Whalebone  Whales  of  New  England 

by  Glover  Allen,  secretary  and  librarian  of  Boston 

Society  of  Natural  History. 
A  History  of  the  American  Whale  Fishery 

by  Walter  S.  Tower. 
American  Merchant  Ships  and  Sailors 

by  Willis  J.  Abbott. 
History  of  the  New  England  Fisheries 

by  Raymond  McFarland. 
Evolution  of  the  American  Fishing  Schooner 

by  J.   W.   Collins, — an   article   in   the  American 

Magazine,  May,  1898. 


254          THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK 

Library  of  Cape  Cod  History  and  Genealogy — 
A  Series  of  small  pamphlets. 
Published  by  C.  W.  Swift,  Yarmouthport. 

No.  56    Richard   Rich  of  Dover  Neck  and 

His  Descendants 
No.  63     Stephen  Hopkins 
No.  76     Paine  of  Payne 
No.  78     200th   Anniversary   Address   of   the 

Town  of  Chatham 
No.  65     Rider 

No.  91     Children  of  William  Nickerson 
No.  94     ''Hoppy"  Mayo,  Hero  of  Eastham 
No.  98     Ryder 
No.  99    Atkins 
No.  101     Eldred,  Eldridge 
No.   102     William  Nickerson 
Stories  by  Joseph  C.  Lincoln,  especially  "Capt'n  Eri" 

and  "Mr.  Pratt." 
Stories  for  Girls — 

The  Little  Maid  of  Provincetown,  by  Alice  Turner 

Curtis. 
Georgiana    of   the    Rainbows,    by   Annie    Fellows 

Johnston. 

Mary  Gusta,  by  Joseph  C.  Lincoln. 
The  Mayflower  Descendant — 

A   Quarterly  Magazine  of  Ancient   Records,   by 
Mr.  George  E.  Bowman. 


Seeing  Provincetown 

IF  YOU  have  only  an  hour,  a  ride  through  the  town 
is  the  best  you  can  do.  Take  the  barge,  and  the 
barge  is  not  a  boat,  but  a  bus.  For  a  small  fare 
the  auto-busses  whirl  you  up-along  and  down-a-long. 
Do  not  fear  a  collision  in  the  narrow  streets.  The 
drivers  are  good  navigators.  Some  of  us  like  better 
the  old  "accommodation,"  which,  with  a  dozen  passen- 
gers, drove  leisurely  along,  stopping  at  the  postoffice,  or 
at  the  bakeshop  or  at  any  corner,  and  stopping  long 
enough  for  a  passenger  to  do  a  little  errand  and  for  the 
other  passengers  to  enjoy  the  scenery.  On  Sunday 
morning  the  accommodation  took  people  to  church 
without  charge. 

If  you  have  a  day  to  stay,  walk  the  length  of  the 
sidewalk,  three  miles  or  more  on  the  crowded  street 
hugging  the  harbor.  This  is  the  street  strangers  refer 


256  THE  PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

to  when  they  say  there  is  but  one  street  in  Province- 
town.  Climb  to  the  top  of  the  Pilgrim  Monument. 
Visit  the  Art  Museum. 

If  you  have  a  week  to  give,  take  a  daily  dip  in  the 
sea.  The  tide  comes  slowly  up  the  sunny  flats  till 
it  reaches  the  high-water  mark  delightfully  warm  and 
perfectly  safe.  Exhilarated  by  your  dip,  go  for  a  sail, 
not  in  a  prosaic  motor-boat,  but  in  a  sail-boat,  with  an 
old  skipper.  With  his  hand  on  the  tiller,  you  are 
happy.  The  wind  is  sure  to  be  southwest  in  the 
afternoon  and  a  good  breeze.  Drive  to  the  Highland 
Light,  seven  miles  along  the  state  highway.  The  Light 
and  the  clay  pounds  are  worth  seeing,  and  the  story 
of  the  Lighthouse-keeper  is  worth  hearing. 

Go  out  into  the  harbor  in  the  early  morning  with 
the  trap-crew  to  draw  the  traps.  You  will  see  the 
stars  fade,  then  a  copper  sun  above  a  copper  sea,  then 
a  golden  sun  walking  a  golden  path  from  the  horizon 
to  you.  At  length  you  are  in  a  world  of  blue  and  silver. 

The  crew  pulls  the  nets  to  the  surface,  and  with 
help  of  a  tackle,  dips  the  fish  into  the  boat,  twenty 
barrels,  a  hundred  barrels,  three  hundred  barrels  of 
whiting  and  mackerel.  There  is  also  a  goosefish  or 
two  which  they  pitch  back  into  the  water,  and  maybe 
a  few  dogfish.  The  gulls  are  fishing  too,  and  calling, 
"Funiculi,  funicula." 

By  nine  o'clock  you  are  back  at  the  wharf,  with 
fish  for  the  freezer,  unless  the  crew  sells  to  a  Boston 
fish-boat,  waiting  in  the  harbor  to  buy.  The  freezer- 
crew  takes  the  boat-load,  and  before  noon,  fish  that 
were  swimming  the  night  before  are  packed  and  frozen. 


THE  PROVINCETOWN  BOOK  257 

They  can  now  be  kept  indefinitely,  and,  shipped  in 
refrigerator  cars,  are  in  the  market  as  fresh  and  good 
as  when  they  went  into  the  freezer. 

Climb  to  the  top  of  the  Pilgrim  Memorial  Monu- 
ment, 252  feet  from  its  base  and  near  a  hundred  more 
from  sea  level.  The  ascent  by  a  series  of  inclined 
planes  is  easy,  and  the  effort  is  well  repaid  by  the  view 
of  the  majestic  harbor  below,  the  glittering  spiral  of 
sand  surrounding  it,  and  the  bay  broadening  into  the 
ocean.  Fix  the  points  of  the  compass  and  place  Boston 
to  the  northwest.  Follow  the  line  of  land  to  Duxbury 
and  the  Standish  Monument,  to  Barnstable,  to  Truro, 
to  the  Jumping-off  Place. 

Go  to  Long  Nook,  one  of  a  series  of  delightful 
valleys  running  across  the  Cape  from  bay  to  ocean. 
The  nearest  is  Long  Nook  which  a  man  who  loves  it 
calls,  "A  Vale  of  Gentle  Seclusion." 

Go  by  the  state  road  across  the  green  hills,  past 
the  dunes  planted  with  beach  grass  and  pines,  into  the 
naked  dunes,  to  the  Race  Point  Coast  Guard  Station. 
There,  nothing  is  between  you  and  far-off  Spain,  except 
myriads  of  rolling  billows  like  those  breaking  at  your 
feet.  Gather  driftwood  for  a  fire,  cook  your  supper  on 
the  coals,  watch  the  sun  sink  into  the  sea,  and  feel  the 
darkness  fall  from  the  sky  above  and  gather  from  the 
limitless  horizon,  till,  refreshed  and  quiet,  you  turn 
again  home. 

If  you  linger  long,  you  may  enter  into  the  life  of 
the  men  and  women  here  whose  roots  run  back  three 
hundred  years.  They  may  tell  you  stories  of  storm 


258  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

and  wreck,  they  may  amuse  you  with  funny  stories, 
of  which  they  know  many.  They  may  invite  you  into 
the  unpretentious  homes  and  show  some  of  their  treas- 
ures. Dealers  are  buying  the  old  sea-chests,  the  luster, 
the  scrimshawing,  the  daguerreotypes,  though  most  of 
it  is  still  untouched. 

By-and-by,  the  charm  catches  you,  and,  like  the 
native  sons  and  daughters,  scattered  over  the  globe, 
always  homesick  for  Cape  Cod,  you  will  return  year 
after  year,  and  hope  to  lay  your  bones  at  last,  among 
neighbors  and  friends,  in  the  clean  white  sand. 


Things  to  See 


TABLET  marking  the  first  landing  of  the  Pilgrims; 
at  the  West  End. 
Tablet  in  memory  of  the  Pilgrims  who  died  here; 

in  the  Old  Cemetery. 
Tablet  commemorating  the  Landing  of  the   Pilgrims, 

erected  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts; 

near  Town  Hall. 

The  Pilgrim  Memorial  Monument. 
Governor  Prince's  Doorstone  at  the  entrance  of  the 

Monument. 
Bas-relief  "Signing  of  the  Compact;"  in  the  Approach 

to  the  Monument. 

The  Pilgrim  Church,  with  old  records,  etc. 
Universalist  Church,  with  "Christopher  Wren"  tower 

and  old  frescoing. 
Oldest  house  in  town,  built  by  Squire  Rich;  Pleasant 

Street. 
Collection  of  Historical  Objects,  made  by  the  Research 

Club;  in  Town  Hall. 
Cup  presented  the  Rose  Dorothea  in  the    Fishermen's 

Race;  in  Town  Hall. 
Paintings  by  Mr.  Halsall;  in  Town  Hall. 
Old  Fire  Engine,  made  expressly  for  the  Town  (with 


260  THE   PROVINCETOWN   BOOK 

very  wide  wheels)  in   1836;    in  the  basement  of 

the  Town  Hall. 
Picture,   "Launching   the   Life   Boat;"    in   the   Public 

Library. 
Lighthouse  and  fog  bell  at  Long  Point,  (A  good  trip  in 

a  row  boat). 
Lighthouse  and  Coast  Guard  Station  at  Wood  End,  (A 

pleasant  walk  over  the  Breakwater). 

Lighthouse,  fog-horn  and  Coast  Guard  Station  at  Race 
Point,  near  the  end  of  the  State  Road.  (A  three- 
mile  walk,  over  a  good  road.)  Coast  Guard  Drill 
every  Thursday  morning. 

Coast  Guard  Station  at  Peaked  Hill  Bars,  "The 
Graveyard  of  Ships,"  near  the  end  of  Snail  Road, 
(A  long  and  hard  walk). 

Highland  Light,  conveyance  daily. 

The  Refrigerating  Plants. 

The  Whaling  Gear,  blackfish  head  oil  and  ambergris 
at  the  office  of  Mr.  David  Stull,  the  "Ambergris 
King." 

Fishing  Traps  and  Weirs. 

Burgess  Ship  Designing  Establishment. 

Art  Association  Exhibition  of  Paintings. 

Cornhill,  where  the  Pilgrims  found  the  first  corn,  (in 
Truro). 

Pilgrim  Spring,  where  the  Pilgrims  drank  their  first 
water  (in  Truro). 

The  Gift  Shops  and  the  Dealers  in  Antiques  have  many 
interesting  things. 


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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


MAR  2  3  195C 


Q    C 


'orin  L9-25m-9,'47(A5618)444 


rrovinca- 


F74 
P9S6 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAOUTY 
I    III    III    II    I    I 


A    001338032    4 


